Avengers: The New Age
by Haarryyo
Summary: With the fall of Ultron came a reshaping of the Avengers team. Headed by Captain America and Black Widow: Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision and War Machine do their best to fill the roles left by their predecessors. However, training is interrupted when a rogue section of the old S.H.I.E.L.D. is discovered and a young man with odd abilities brings new adventure to the team. (pre-CW)
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

**A/N: Thanks for clicking on my story! This first chapter is just a small introduction to the only original character that acts as a main character in the story. If you don't mind, stick around for the next chapter and you'll see the introduction of the new Avengers team to this story. Follows/Favs are appreciated but not necessary. Also, look out for Stan Lee's cameo in this chapter and enjoy the read!**

Before Agent Romanoff uploaded S.H.I.E.L.D's inside information to the internet for anyone to see, S.H.I.E.L.D had many, many secrets. One of which was the Kennedy Institution – a home for orphaned children in the state of Georgia. Or, that's what the locals had been led to believe. Romanoff revealed that the Kennedy Institution was in fact a secret laboratory, where children with certain "genetic defects" were subject to horrific experiments. When this knowledge came to light, multiple ex-S.H.I.E.L.D agents began their attempt to recover the mistreated children.

 **2008**

A large concrete building laid hidden by an abundance of pine trees. The area was unusually quiet for the south-Georgian forest. No birds sang. No insect scuttled. The only way to the building was a winding gravel road which came from a small town of only a few hundred people. It was the perfect hiding place for the antiheroes of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The building itself resembled a chapel. It had a large steeple which had been partially weathered away. The cold wind had peel away the paint, exposing the brick underneath. Windows that once held beautiful mosaics had been knocked out and replaced with sheets of steel. The slanted roof was covered in spikes to prevent either pigeons or Iron Man from landing on top of the building.

A small rusty old car bounded down the dirt track towards the building. It skidded to a halt just inches from the front of the building. A woman hastily threw the door open and climbed out. She sent a look over her shoulder to make sure no-one had followed her. The woman had thinning brown hair and dark circles surrounding her eyes. She looked exhausted and very, very worried. The woman ran around to the other side of the car and pulled the passenger door open.

"Get out, Miles." She ordered. A young boy, no older than twelve, hopped out from the seat of the car. Strangely, he seemed to be the complete opposable of his mother – excitable and happy.

"Where are we?" He asked, frowning in curiosity.

"A place where you can get help." His mother explained, yet her tone was cold and harsh. "Now, no more questions."

The pair walked to the giant steel doors at the front of the castle. The woman knocked twice. Within seconds, the door swung open and an elderly man appeared. He wore a security guard-like uniform and large, round glasses. A furry, silver moustache had grown on his upper lip. The man took one look down at the boy before speaking.

"He's not in the comics."

"Excuse me?" The boy's mother replied.

"Uh, nothing." The old guard shook his head. "Are you here for…" His voice trailed off. "Is this boy 'special'?" The motherly figure nodded. "Please, come in."

As Miles walked in, he looked around the room in awe. It looked like something out of an apocalypse movie. The cross on the back of the wall had been removed and all of the wooden pews had been taken away. The whole room was decaying, except one thing. In the middle of the room, there was a large metal platform. It was surrounded by railings and held a security panel with only two buttons.

"Come now, Miles." His mother placed her hand on his back, pushing him forwards. She knew what she had to do. The two stepped onto the platform and the woman pressed the lower of the two buttons. They jolted left and right before the platform – or lift - began to lower into the ground. The security guard ignored them, leaning against a wall and flicking dirt from underneath his nails. It wasn't the first time that he'd seen a worried parent and a relaxed child step onto the platform.

An hour later, the lift returned to the surface but carried only the mother. She seemed less tense and at ease. The woman swiftly left, with only a small nod to the security guard.

 **2011**

A muscular figure walked down a dark, eerie corridor. He wore a full navy jumpsuit and a name-badge that read: 'Donovan, S.H.I.E.L.D operative.' The corridor was dimply lit by three hanging industrial lights. In the dim light, one would only slightly be able to see where they were walking. The corridor had dirty wooden floors that made echoing sounds when it collided with the agent's boots. Charcoal paint had been splattered across the walls. There was no natural light. Several doors provided exits from the corridor, spaced very close together. They each had several sliding parts for multiple purposes – the serving of food, observation and more. Most doors were reinforced and looked identical to those that could be found in jails.

Donovan stopped at one of the doors and turned to face it. He pulled an abundance of keys from his pocket and started counting them. When he reach the nineteenth key, he slid the key into the lock and turned it. Pulling the door open, he looked inside.

The rooms were scarcely furnished. There was a bed with no bed sheets, - just a mattress - a toilet and a small television. The electronic played a Walt Disney short about a talking mouse. In the corner of the room, ignoring Donovan, a fourteen year old boy sat. Choosing to ignore the adult's presence, the boy's eyes stayed focused on the television.

"Miles, Dr Winters is ready for you." Donovan called from the doorway. The boy hardly resembled the Miles that had once been full of life. His face was covered in bruises and cuts, most notable were red marks on both of his temples. His blonde hair had darkened to a dirty blonde colour and he was dressed in maroon-coloured prison-like overalls.

"I'm not going." Miles spoke flatly, eye fixated on the screen.

"Dr. Winters has instructed me to use brutal force, if you do not comply." The agent revealed, crossing his arms.

"Do you really want to force me to go?" The teenager moved his head to look at Donovan. His expression was particularly menacing. Donovan felt stupid: being scared of a fourteen year old.

"We just want to see what you can do again." The agent told him. Miles didn't reply. Instead, he turned back to watch the television. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Donovan jumped forwards onto Miles and grabbed his shoulders. Miles jumped up from the bed and tried to get away. He wriggled as fast as he could in an attempt to escape Donovan's grasp. After a while, the teenager stopped struggling. Miles moved his head to look into Donovan's eyes. "I'm sorry." The young boy whispered.

There was no sparkling ray of light. There was no sign of a superpower. Instead, Donovan loosened his grip on Miles and fell backwards. He stumbled backwards, coughing and spluttering. Suddenly, water-like liquid began to trickle out from his ears… And then it started to flow out from the space around his eyes. Donovan began to gasp as his lungs shrivelled up inside his body, but his mouth was filled with water that had been drawn out from inside him. After a few seconds, the man collapsed and slid to the floor. He lay there, curled over in a puddle of water. His skin had shrivelled up. Miles stepped backwards, horrified by what he had just done.

"I just killed him…" He murmured to himself. That was the only second time that he had ended somebody's life.

Miles quickly composed himself and leant down to reach the keys that hung from the guard's belt. Sorting through the keys, he tried each one in turn on his door's keyhole. When he found the right one, Miles locked himself inside the room with Donovan's body. The boy stuffed the keys underneath his mattress and then grabbed the guard's arms.

Where could he hide the body? Underneath the bed seemed to be the best idea. The dim light hanging from the ceiling struggled to reach underneath there. A great deal of effort was required from Miles to successfully hide the body.

After doing so, he laid on his bed, stared up at the ceiling and thought about the recent events. What was new? He had keys that unlocked the other prisoner's doors. That was good. Although, he had actually just killed someone. But, he needed to do it. He couldn't visit Dr. Winters again. He couldn't have them awful tests conducted on him again. And now that he had the keys, no-one would be tested on ever again. Miles had a plan. The next day, he would unlock all the other prisoners in this block and cause a riot. Surely, there would be children with other powers and they'd be able to break out together. He was almost certain that his plan would work… It didn't…

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! In the next chapter, which will be longer, we'll see the events of 2014 and finally present day 2015, where we'll see 19 year old Miles interact with the New Avengers.**


	2. Chapter 2 - Underground Society

**2014**

Miles sat in the corner of his room, underneath the television. His breathing was fast-paced like he had been running. Now seventeen years old, he sat with his knees pressed against his chest as he rocked backwards and forwards. There hadn't been many physical changes in his last year of torture. It was only his skin that seemed paler than normal. Although, the mental change could be seen on his face. His eyes were wide open as if he had seen a ghost.

He wished he'd never done it.

He should've just gone with Donovan.

A few hours of electro-shock experiments would've been nothing compared to the pain that he had seen inflicted upon so many.

"We've gotta go!" A loud voice shouted from the hallway. Outside the room, a man wearing a lab coat and glasses ran up to one of the guards on patrol.

"Woah, calm down." The guard spoke with a thick southern accent. "What are you talking about?"

"They know! That redhead… um… Black Widow! She's uploaded all the secrets!" The scientist spoke wildly, barely able to form a sentence.

"Wait a minute. Who knows?" Another security guard joined the two. Miles looked up at the trio through the grate on his door.

"Everyone! Everyone knows!" He answered. "We're all abandoning our stations and leaving. If the police catch us or anyone like Iron Man finds this place, we're done for! We'll be imprisoned for life!"

The two security guards shared a worried look. "What about the children?" One of them asked.

"Just leave them!" The scientist shouted. "No-one cares for them! Most of them are classified dead or hopeless missing child cases, anyway!"

"You're right." The other guard told him. "Let's just get to the lift. It's the only way out of here."

Miles jumped up from his spot and ran over to the door. He slammed his fist against the hard metal and began to scream, "You can't just leave us down here to rot!" The security guards and scientist sprinted out of the room, ignoring his cries. A loud noise echoed around the corridor as the door shut behind them…

An hour passed and Miles hadn't heard a single noise. Someone had cut the power to his room – the TV wouldn't turn on. Another hour passed and still nothing. Miles listened to the sound of him breathing, driving himself crazy. It was not until another two hours had passed before his door slowly creaked open.

Miles jumped up and held his hand out. "Stay back. You know what I can do!" He warned, expecting a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to walk through the door. However, a small freckled ginger girl peered around the door. She smiled up at Miles, showing brace-covered teeth. Her name was Penny and she was only seven years old. Miles had met her during the uprising that he had caused in 2012. He wasn't too sure what powers she had.

"Penny!" Miles exclaimed. The younger girl rugby-tackled him into a hug. "How did you get the keys?"

"Some ugly adults were in my room when they all ran off. They just dropped them. I got a bit lost so it took me a loooong time to find you." Penny explained, shrugging her shoulders in a child-like manner.

"Who else have you let out?" The teenager questioned.

"Just you so far." She replied. "You're my only friend."

"Okay." Miles nodded as he thought about their escape plan. "Let's go to the lift first. S.H.I.E.L.D. would've left by now so we don't need to worry about running into them. Once we've got to the lift and we know that it's working, we can come back and let everyone go free."

"Uhhh, sure." Penny nodded.

Miles grabbed her hand and they both walked out of his cell. He looked left and then right. The lights were flickering. Power was running out. Remembering the way back to the lift was hard. It had been five years ago for him and all of the tests on his brain had weakened his memory.

They took the first right and passed through a steel door. The first room they entered was some sort of guard station. There were a few desks dotted around with computers on them and lockers lining one side of the room. The pair ran over to one of the desks and Miles picked up a pistol that laid on top of it. He shoved it into the back of his trousers, copying what they did in movies.

"Do you even know how to fire that?" Penny questioned.

"Nope." He honestly told her. "But now seems like a good time to learn."

There were two exits to the guards' room. One that was labelled 'Science Lab, Testing Rooms, Cafeteria' and another that was labelled 'Holding Cell 2.' Miles scoffed. 'Holding Cell,' labelled like he and the other children were animals or convicts. Both children had always taken the first exit when they had been taken to the testing rooms so they decided on that door.

Similar to the corridors of the holding cells, the next corridor was also dimly lit. Miles peered into the science lab through a glass section in one of the doors. Everything in the room was white – white tables, white walls and white lab coats. All of the work benches had a variety of different chemicals on top. Some were partway through being examined using a microscope. One of the acids had been knocked over as someone hurriedly left. The green liquid was eating away at one of the tables.

"Come on, Miles." Penny tugged on the sleeve of his overalls. "I wanna get out of here."

Without a single glance, they passed the next room. It was all too familiar. The two-way mirror on the wall, the single chair and desk in the middle of the room, the different machines that they'd hook up to the children… That room held painful memories that were not easily forgotten.

Penny hadn't been in the next room along but Miles had. That was where they administered what he called 'electro-shock therapy,' after Dr Winters decided that sending electricity through his body would help them to understand his genetic mutation. He never understood the link between his water manipulation powers and electricity.

The next door was locked. Miles violently pulled and pushed the handle before trying to kick the door in. It was on use. The door could only be open via sliding a S.H.I.E.L.D. ID through the machine by the side.

Eventually, after running through numerous corridors and past several dozen rooms, Miles reached the lift room. It was a large square room and the majority of it was taken up by the raised lift. To the side was a desk with a computer and a manual on top.

"We've got to lower this lift, Penny." He told her, letting go of her hand and running over to the manual.

After flicking through a few pages of the thick book, Miles came to the lift instructions. It revealed that there was a control panel, on the wall somewhere, which could be used to lower the lift. The teenager looked up and scanned the room. He'd found it! The control panel! Their way out!

His heart sank in his chest. One of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had smashed it inwards before leaving. It was broken. The only other control panel was the one on the lift, which couldn't be accessed. They were trapped underground. There was no way out…

 **2015**

Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson and Natasha Romanoff sped along a local highway in a black jeep. Natasha sat in the driver's seat with Steve beside her and Sam in the back seat. They were dressed in regular clothes, rather than their famous superhero suits.

"Remind me where we're going again?" Sam called from the backseat, ripping a loose threat from his jacket.

Natasha tapped a few buttons on the car's console and 3D hologram appeared in the middle of the car. "We're going to a disused cathedral. The big leak revealed some information about it but it was all in fragments, like someone had tried to cover up it's existence. The whole thing is one large rumour. S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have left it as the last clean-up mission, if it was thought to be anything big." Natasha explain, eyes on the road. Steve and Sam looked over the diagram.

"What's so special about it?" Steve asked. "It looks like a normal cathedral to me."

"Apparently, there's a secret base underneath it. Something had gone on behind Fury's back; something to do with experiments on special children." The redhead continued, clicking her blinkers before turning onto another road.

"What do you mean 'special children?'" Sam asked.

"Again: the information was all in fragments." Natasha repeated. "But, there are some reports of missing children in the local area. Reports that had been suddenly pulled from newspapers and television."

"What do you mean?" The man in the backseat called.

"People were paid to stop searching for children." She answered.

The jeep took a sudden right onto a dirt track. Steve looked to his right and lowered the window. His blonde hair blew in the wind as he observed the surroundings. There wasn't much to see – rows and rows of trees that oddly started at the edge of a small town. The old building grew bigger as Natasha drove closer. She slowed the vehicle to a stop just outside of the main doors.

"There's definitely something wrong with this place." Sam stated, climbing out of the car and shutting the door behind him. Steve nodded in agreement while he opened the trunk and grabbed his shield.

"How can you tell?" Natasha asked.

"I was in the Air Force for years. You learn to sense when there's something wrong with a place." The dark-skinned man revealed.

Slowly, Natasha approached the main doors. She placed her hand on the door and pushed lightly. It drifted open, creaking the whole way. The woman grabbed a torch from her pocket and aimed it into the cathedral. Stepping forwards, she aimed the beam of light at the ceiling and examined the beautiful mural. It was pitch black in the room. The once-flickering lights had been turned off and the steel plates on the window stopped any natural light from entering.

All of a sudden, there was a large clunking sound that echoed around the room. It sounded like it came from a hollow object. Natasha span on the spot and shined her light at Steve. He had discovered the lift in the darkness. Sam jumped onto the lift and stepped over to the console. He looked at his two fellow Avengers and they both nodded – the sign that they were both ready to descend. With a creak and a thud, the lift shifted slightly before beginning to descend.

"Everyone stay on your guard!" A voice came from below. The trio span around and looked for the origin of the voice. Natasha's hand hovered over her gun, ready to grab it.

As the lift lowered, the owner of the voice was revealed. Miles stood at the front of a group of children – no more than thirty – aiming a gun at the three Avengers. He stood in a large room, yet the lift took up most of the space. By the side, there was a desk with a computer and a glass of water set on top of it. The children were all scared and fought to be the one to hide behind him. He was obviously the oldest there. The closest person to his age was probably around thirteen. Miles took one look at Steve's shield and then lowered his gun. He relaxed as his shoulders fell from their tense position.

"Everyone relax. They're the good guys." Miles called back to the younger children.

"What's going on here?" Natasha asked.

"Are they here to save us?" Someone yelled.

"It's that America guy from TV!" Another girl shouted out.

"Everyone go back to the dorms! Casey…" Miles turned around and looked for the thirteen year old. When their eyes met, he continued to speak. "Look after them and don't let Mickey eat any more straws."

Steve, Sam and Natasha stepped down from the platform as the children were ushered out of the room.

"Who are you? What is this place?" Sam questioned. The last of the children left the room, leaving Miles alone with the newcomers.

"I thought you were with S.H.I.E.L.D. Don't you already know what this place is?" Miles seemed shocked. Natasha stepped forwards, nodding and crossing her arms. At some point, she had grabbed her pistol. It was being held loosely in her right hand. The woman had a chance to look at the young boy. He had dirty blonde hair that had been swept to the side and still wore his maroon-coloured overalls.

"Come with me. This isn't the place to explain." He turned around and began to walk to the door.

"And what if we say no?" Steve asked. "We can't just follow you when we don't know what we're walking into."

Miles stopped when he reached the door. He turned around and held his right hand out, palm facing the desk. The glass of water shifted slightly before the water began to rise from it's place. Like magic, the liquid rose from the cup and floated around the air. It swirled around, following the pattern of Miles' hand. The three Avengers all had shocked looks on their faces. Miles sighed and lowered his arm. Suddenly, the water dropped and splashed onto the floor.

"Have I managed to convince you to come with me?" He half-sarcastically asked. Steve was the first to walk over to Miles, passing his two frozen-in-shock friends.

Forty-five minutes later, Steve, Sam, Natasha and Miles all sat in the underground canteen. Sam stood behind the three while Natasha and Steve sat opposite Miles at a table. He had told them everything that he knew. The cruel tests that had been performed on him and other children, the murder of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, the original uprising and the sudden abandonment of the facility. The thing that Steve found the most interesting was what had occurred after these events. After the abandonment a year ago, Miles had formed a miniature underground society. Some children were appointed as cooks, some appointed as cleaners, some appointed as guards and peacekeepers. No matter what job they were given, they all took turns in a school environment. Miles didn't like to see himself as their leader, but he was.

"How old did you say you were?" Steve asked.

"I'm eighteen or nineteen." He answered. "No-one really knows how old they are. I was left here by my mother in 2008 and I was twelve then."

"You've been here for seven years!" Sam exclaimed, pacing up and down.

"You get used to it." Miles shrugged.

"And how many children have you looked after?" Natasha continued with the questions.

"There's twenty-seven here." He revealed.

"And do they all have abilities, like you?" The redhead went on.

"No, I don't think so. Penny and I are the only ones with powers. Most of the other children were taken from all over the place. They were used like rats in a lab. Although, my parents, Penny's parents and two of the other children's parents gave us up voluntarily." Miles spoke like such an act was a normal thing to do. "Don't ask me what Penny's powers are, though. I don't think she even knows herself."

"How did you get your ability?" Sam asked another question.

"I… don't know. There was an accident when I was young. Something to do with my father and me drowning." The teenager admitted.

For the first time in a while, the room fell silent. All of their questions had been answered. Steve and Natasha looked at each other. Miles was the one to break the silence.

"What are you going to do about… all this?"

"What's gone on here isn't right. We're going to reunite the children with their families." Steve explained. "You, Penny and the other two…" He couldn't find the word. He was going to say 'unwanted children' but that sounded too harsh. "… children you mentioned can come back to the base in New York. I've got some questions for Fury about this."

"Sam, get Vision to bring the jet here." Natasha order "Also, call Rhodes and Wanda. They can help get the children back their families."


	3. Chapter 3 - A Polite Interrogation

**The New Avengers base, New York – Later that Evening**

Miles sat in one of the interrogation rooms, playing with a glass of water on the desk. The room was especially dull. Creams walls and a grey carpet. There was a reflective surface on one side of the room that was obviously a two-way mirror. He made the liquid swirl around his finger before exploding into little tiny droplets in mid-air. If he listened properly, he could hear the sound of Steve Rogers talking to Nick Fury outside.

"You shouldn't be keeping him in there!" Steve told Fury. They stood just outside of the room, in a corridor. "He's been locked away and tested on in rooms just like these for his whole life. You should give him one of the suites. I'm sure he'd appreciate having a soft bed and fresh sheets for the first time in his life."

"You know the rules, Rogers." Nick sighed. The man held a file in his hand. "Anyone that sets foot in this building needs to have a thorough background search conducted on them and at least some sort of military or high-standing background. I'm letting this kid off lightly. I just want to talk to him."

Without waiting for a response from Steve, Nick opened the door and entered the interrogation room. Steve sighed loudly, frustrated. "He's not a kid!" The blonde man called after Nick. "He's eighteen!"

Miles smirked and turned to face Nick as he entered the room.

"Are you gonna clean this up?" The bald man asked, motioning to the water droplets spread across the floor. In one swift motion, Miles moved his hand and gathered the water from the floor, placing it back into the glass. "That's very impressive." Nick told him, sitting down opposite Miles. "I'm-"

"Nick Fury." The teenager finished the sentence and crossed his arms. "I know who you are. You used to be in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. until they were infiltrated by Hydra. I've seen the news. You were part of the organisation that hit me, shocked me and brought my whole words of pain that even you couldn't imagine. They sent me to the brink of death and then brought me back. I have nothing else to say to you."

"Well, then…" Nick raised his eyebrows, partially taken aback by Miles. He laid the file on the table and opened the first page. "Your name is Miles Evans. You're originally from a county in England called Essex. The names of your parents are Rebecca and Max. In 2008, your mother's boyfriend died. His body was discovered with "puckered skin" and "shrivelled eyes" so the cause of death was left as unknown, according to the police report. I think we know how your mother's boyfriend died, don't you?"

"Of course, I know." Miles spoke through clenched teeth. "I was only young… I didn't know what I was doing. I have to relive that day, every night in my dreams, and I see the poor man's face every time I close my eyes."

Nick felt a bit of compassion for the boy. Miles' hard exterior had crumbled easier than he thought it would. "We understand that it was an accident but we can't let that happen to one of our own agents."

"I can control my powers now! The tests done by _your_ agents allowed me to do so." The teenager spat, regaining his hardened exterior. "Besides, where am I supposed to go? My mom abandoned me! I don't even know who my father is!"

"They were not _my_ agents. That section of S.H.I.E.L.D. was obviously corrupt and out of my control." Nick kept his cool. "We'll find you somewhere to go. I only have one question for you today – did you ever learn who ran the facility?"

"Dr. Winters." Miles answered. "I heard that name time and time again, yet I never saw him. Your operatives took some of the paperwork from the bunker. They'll probably have more information."

Fury didn't know the name, which was strange. At one point in his life, Nick had known the name of every high-ranking doctor in S.H.I.E.L.D. "I've got ask about the year without the agents – when you were left to look after thirty children. How did you get the supplies? The food, the water, the electricity?"

"It was easy, really. They had tons and tons of food just stored away. It wasn't nice food – things like canned potatoes and stale bread – but it was enough to get us by. There was water by the gallon in the store room, too." The younger man began to explain. "The base was quite far underground so it was run by its own generator. There were canisters of fuels to power it too, but we were running low when your team arrived. I could tell you so much about what we did underground – the schools, the jobs, the friendships…"

He thought for a second, nodding and reviewing Miles' file. His eyebrows raised when he saw something.

"What is it?" The younger man asked, noticing the movement.

"It's your birthday, Miles. You're nineteen today." He revealed.

"Uhh, cool." Miles replied, not really knowing what to do with this piece of information.

The man leant back in his chair and sighed. He bit his lip as he decided what to do. "Miles… There's a suite on the top floor of the base. You can have for tonight… but only tonight. After that, I'll have to figure something else. I'll get someone to show you to your room."

"Thank you." Miles nodded. "Can I leave now? I haven't had a good night's sleep in years."

Nick nodded and motioned to the doorway. "Wait outside and I'll call someone to take you up."

Standing up, Miles pushed the chair under the table before leaving the room. Nick pressed a button on his earpiece. "Agent Hill, come and keep an eye on the new kid. I don't trust him."

On the ninth floor, Maria Hill stood in the doorway of the suite, watching Miles as he observed his temporary home. She wore her trademark navy cat-suit and had styled her hair into a low bun. The woman had a pistol in a holder hanging from her belt – just in case.

"Oh my god." Miles felt breathless as he entered. The room was amazing. It contained a bed, over twice the size of his one the facility. There was a huge television, a mini fridge, a kettle, a toaster and even an en-suite bathroom! What most people would see as normal commodities, Miles was seeing as luxuries. Maria relaxed a little. Someone who was that excited over a toaster wasn't likely to be dangerous.

"Is everything okay with you?" Maria asked.

"Okay?! This is amazing!" Miles exclaimed, spreading his arms out and then falling back onto the bed.

"I'll leave you to it, then." She smiled, turning around and beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" The teenager called after her. She turned around and looked back. "What did you say your name was?"

"It's Maria. Maria Hill." She answered, reintroducing yourself.

"Okay, thanks Maria!" Miles shouted before she disappeared out of sight. The man jumped from the bed and walked straight to the bathroom, picking up a towel from the shelf as he went. But there was one thing that he had forgotten – the door was still wide open.

A luxuriously-hot shower later, Miles emerged from the bathroom in nothing but a towel. He was surprisingly well-built and had considerably large muscles. The towel had been wrapped around his waist and tucked in to stop it from falling. He threw his old overalls on the bed and opened one of the drawers, looking for some new clothes.

"Woah, sorry!" A voice spoke. Steve had intended to visit Miles in his new suite, not intrude. Embarrassed, Steve held a hand to his face and covered his eyes.

Miles laughed. "Don't worry, you're fine. It's my fault, really. I should've locked the door. I guess having someone always shut the door for me in the facility had made me forget to do it."

"I just came up here to say 'Happy Birthday!'" Steve explained himself, lowering his hand.

"Thanks, Steve." The teenager smiled. "It's been a while since anyone has ever said that to me."

The pair fell silent for a while. Miles slipped a black t-shirt on, still having the towel covering his bottom half.

"I've gotta say," Steve began, "you're surprisingly ripped."

Miles blushed. Having Captain America compliment you felt like such an honour. "Back in the facility, they'd make us push our bodies to the limits. They'd make me lift weights, do countless press-ups and run on treadmills for hours. If I stopped, they'd shock me. So, I learnt not to stop."

"That's pretty impressive." The blond admitted. "I mean, not as impressive as me but still impressive."

They both shared a moment of laughter. For a brief moment, their eyes met but Miles awkwardly looked away first.

"Where are Penny and the other two children you took back here?" He asked Steve.

"They're all still down in the canteen. Penny seems to be able to eat for the whole of America!" Steve laughed.

"Penny always did want more rations than she was allowed." Miles chuckled. "Anyway, thanks for stopping by but I really need to get to bed."

"It was no problem." The older man affirmed, leaning forwards and grabbing the door handle. "Just let me know if you need anything! I'm all yours!"

With one final smile from Miles, Steve shut the door and left. The teenager stopped and bit his lip. What was the feeling of butterflies in his stomach? He'd never experience that before. Pushing the feelings aside, he slipped a pair of briefs on and climbed into bed. The land of dream had taken him within seconds.

Early the next morning, Miles was woken up to shouts coming from inside the base. Numerous pairs of footsteps ran past the door to his room, going in both directions. The man jumped up from his bed and slipped on a pair of jeans from one of the drawers. They didn't really fit, but he was too interested in the commotion that was occurring outside.

The teenager opened the door and stood out on the landing area. The previous night, he had been too tired to take a good look at the base. His suite was located on the side of a large open area. The walkway was cut off by a balcony, which allowed the bottom floor to be seen. On the first floor, there were a dozen desk and computers, each one manned by an operative which were furiously typing away. There a large screen at the end that all the computers were facing. It showed some images of robot-like figures, causing havoc near the sea. They seemed familiar to Miles but he couldn't think where they were from. The young man could just make out the Avengers team standing at the front of the room, watching the footage.

Miles quickly ran to his left, down what felt like hundreds of flights of stairs and out onto the first floor. He walked down the middle of the two rows of desk, approaching the group.

"What's going on?" Miles asked. The group turned around and looked at him.

"It's none of your concern. Go back to your room." Fury ordered.

"You're giving me orders and making me stay in my room." Miles scoffed. "That sounds an awful lot like the people who worked at the facility. Maybe you did know about it, after all." Steve smirked at his cheeky tone.

"Rhodes," Fury got the attention of the man most famously known as War Machine. "Take this kid back to his room."

"Sir, with all due respect, I think Miles can help us." Rhodes told him.

"So do I." Wanda agreed. "These guys are on the edge of the city. You know, by the water. If what you've told me is true, he'll be a massive help."

"No." Fury put his foot down. "He hasn't been trained or evaluated yet. The risks are too high."

Vision stepped forwards. "Miles has resided in the facility for over eight years. During this period of time, he has been subject to various tests and trials. The likelihood of him being an asset in battle is extremely high."

Nick sighed loudly, showing his disagreement with the others. "If he gets hurt, I won't take the blame for it. Someone brief him."

Natasha stepped forwards and directed Miles' attention to the screen. It showed two of the robots flipping a car over and sending it crashing into the side of a building. "These are Ultron's Sentries. They are artificially intelligent robots that were created by HYDRA and led by Ultron. We used to think that the last of them were destroyed a while ago but obviously we know better now."

"I've seen them before. In the facility, they'd let us watch a heavily-edited version of the news." Miles revealed. "But, didn't you destroy Ultron? How are they still active if no-one is controlling them?"

"Good point." Sam stepped forwards. "That why we're going to bring one of them back here."

"Everyone suit up and meet at the jet in two minutes." Steve ordered, raising his voice. Abruptly, a loud noise came from the television behind them. Two of the sentries had just exploded a car. "Make that one minute!"

"I don't have a suit!" Miles exclaimed as they all ran off.

"Don't worry, you'll get one soon!" Steve shouted back.

"No, you won't." Fury told him. "You're not part of the team."

Miles turned around and smiled. He spotted Maria on one of the desks and called out to her. "Maria, can you show me the way to the jet, please?"

The Quinjet was in the air within the half hour and had already flown to the destination. Maria Hill piloted the jet, while the team prepared themselves in the hold.

"I'm not going to patronise anyone with a briefing." Steve revealed, fully suited up as Captain America. "We've all fought the Sentries before and we all know their weak points. The only thing I'm going to say is that we need to work together. Play on each other's strength. You all understand?"

Afterwards, the bay door opened and the team made their way to the edge. They peered down, observing the locations of the Sentries. They were right on the edge of New York City, next to the bays that lead out to the Atlantic Ocean. There were around three dozen sentries which were causing havoc at various places along the shore.

Steve walked over to Miles. "I've been thinking – you don't have to do this. I don't want you to feel like you owe us one for saving you."

"No, not at all." Miles replied. "I wanna help."

"Okay." Steve nodded as Maria began to lower the Quinjet. "I don't know much about your abilities yet but… Whenever you're in trouble, manipulate the water into a shield and protect yourself. I don't want you getting hurt."

"You're the boss, cap'!" The younger boy smiled, adrenaline surging through his veins.

Falcon leaped off the edge of the carrier before it had even got anywhere near the ground. The metallic wings sprung out from his suit and allowed his to swoop down to eye level. Two of the sentries turned on the spot to face him. They raised their arms, preparing to fire from their built-in machine guns.

Sam ran forwards, dodging the bullets as he went. The man leaped off the ground and jumped onto one of the sentries. His wings spread wide, the man placed both of his feet on one of the sentries' shoulders and pushed him back. The robot fell to the floor and, after grabbing it from his belt, Falcon slipped a knife into its skull.

Vision soared down from the sky and flew above his fell Avenger, taking the other sentry out with the lasers shooting out from his eyes. The targeted sentry collapsed in several pieces. Two down, a whole lot more to go.

Up above, Steve walked over to Wanda. He grabbed her arm and turned her around, obtaining her attention.

"You can read minds, can't you?" He spoke quickly, wanting to get in on the action.

"Of course." She answered. "Why do you ask?"

"I want you to read Miles' mind. I do trust him, it's just…" The man trailed off.

"No, I get it." Wanda understood. "I'll do it, if I get a chance."

The next Avenger to descend was War Machine. He jumped from the edge of the Quinjet and landed with a large thud, the dust spewing up from the ground. The man rose from his crouched position and began to rotate. Fully suited-up, Rhodes fired the machines guns as he span, taking out three more sentries.

Captain America landed just next to him, falling onto his shield. The blond jumped to his feet and threw the shield straight ahead, slicing the head off two sentries. Unbeknownst to him, one of the robots had snuck up behind and pressed the end of its arm-gun to his back. He tensed up, feeling the cold material through his suit. Suddenly, the robot dropped to the floor. Black Widow had taken it out.

"What would I do without you?" Steve smirked before they both ducked, manoeuvring away from the gunfire.

Lastly, Scarlet Witch and Miles both emerged from the Quinjet, both being brought down by Wanda's powers. Miles stumbled as he hit the floor, not used to that form of transportation. Scarlet Witch got to work straight away and used her powers to flip over a car. Two sentries got caught in its path and ended up getting crushed beneath it.

Miles looked around. He was there – right in the middle of the action. They were right at the edge of the city. The tall buildings looked odd to him as they had been built right next to the river, with nothing but a road between them. The Avengers were all around him, taking down what remained of one of their greatest enemies. Worried citizens were all around, relying on the team to save them. That was his time to show himself. The young man began to raise his arms.

Behind him, water began to rise up from the river in two lines. There must have been at least four gallons of water being raised on each side. One of the sentries turned around, sensing his presence. Miles threw his left hand forwards and the water followed. The grand mass of water crashed into the sentry, slamming it into the side of a school bus. The robot's mechanics fizzed and broke down as the water surged through its body. When the liquid began to flow away, the robot was revealed to be flattened under such a force.

"Nice work, beginner." Black Widow complimented him as she ran past, patting him on the back. The redhead held a pistol in both hands and fired them in rapid succession, taking out another robot.

The Avengers backed together, standing against one another in a circle. Scarlet Witch used her powers to rip a concrete slab from the floor and launch it through the air. The slab crushed one of the sentries as it came crashing down to the floor. War Machine continued to fire his suits' turrets, taking out several enemies every minute.

"Just like old times." Captain smiled, remember how the old team had once assembled like this during the battle to save New York.

Sentries that had previously thought to be destroyed were rising from their spots. At least fifteen sentries were making their way towards the team. The group was taking them down fast... But not fast enough.

Natasha was concentrating on one of the sentries. She fired her gun rapidly. It had already taken multiple shots to the head but still wasn't falling down. She stopped firing, confused, when a liquid barrier stood in the way of her target.

Miles and Wanda were working together to create a shield and protect the team. Miles had used the water from the lake to create a dome surrounding the group, which was being reinforced by Wanda's energy shield.

"Great work, guys." Steve called, relieved to have the time to take a breather. The sentries fired at and pounded against the force-field but they couldn't get inside. Miles face was full of concentration. The whole team was relying on him and he had to show them what he could do.

From elsewhere, the Avengers were being watch through the eyes of one of the sentries. A group of people of mixed genders, ethnicities and ages were all staring up at one monitor. They stood at the front of a large meeting room, the circular table behind them. Large windows that lined one side of the room had been covered with blinds. This building was nothing out of the ordinary.

"This, ladies and gentleman, is specimen one." A woman announced from the front of the cluster. She paused the action on the large monitor. "If you'd all like to take your seats, I can continue my presentation."

With a few murmurs, the others retook their seats. The woman stepped forwards, ready to begin. She had a long, jet-black hair that had been tied into a ponytail. Thick-rimmed glasses covered her piercing green eyes. She looked upon the people in front of her before begging her speech. They were some of the world's wealthiest – and most corrupt - business tycoons in the world… and she needed their help.

"As you all know, from 2008 to 2014, I conducted research upon this boy – Miles – and three other specimens who are known to have supernatural powers. During this time, we used…" Her voice faltered for a second. "… willing volunteers to try and copy these powers onto regular human beings. We were extremely close to a breakthrough when we were forced to abandon our work. I am proud to say that some of the work has been recovered and we would be able to continue testing, if we had the funds and the subjects to conduct them on. Now, this is where you come in. If you choose to fund our project, you will be first in line to gain these new abilities, once the methods of transference are perfected."

"Dr. Winters!" An Asian man called, stopping his note-taking. "If your project was to continue and you were to gain the funds to do so, how would you go about re-collecting these specimens that you talk of? Also, where are the others with powers?"

"The location of the others specimens are unknown. However, I believe that if we were to capture Miles Evans, the Avengers team would come to rescue him and they could become our new subjects." Dr Winters continued on. "Imagine the power that we could hold with Scarlet Witch's mental manipulation and telekinesis. Or, better yet, the super-strength and agility of Captain America."

"And what would our money be used for?" An older woman asked.

"Your money would be used in various ways. One of the ways is simply to employ henchmen to deal with the collection of our former specimen. Another way it will be used is to construct the equipment needed for the genetic research. We will also be able to pay journalists and reporters to cover up the apprehending of the Avengers team." Dr. Winters explained. This was woman evil – very evil. "So, do I have any offers?"

The business tycoons all jumped at the opportunity, leaping from their seats and raising their chequebooks in the air. Dr. Winters smiled devilishly. Phase one of her work had been completed.

 **Finally, we get to some action and Agent Hill is re-introduced! If you're considering whether or not to continue on with this story due to its similarities with Age of Ultron, fear not! Ultron's Sentries have only been included to further demonstrate Miles' abilities and are barely connected to the bigger threat in the story! See you in the next chapter and thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Relapse

In the middle of the fight, the new Avengers team remained protected by the shield of water. Wanda and Miles had been doing their best to uphold the barrier but it was a struggle. Before that day, Miles had only ever manipulated a glass of water. Holding up that much water was really testing him.

"Wanda…" Miles coughed, water spluttering out of his mouth. He face turned to the floor as he struggled to keep the water in place. "I can't…"

Steve ran over to him. The blond grabbed Miles' face and made the two locks eyes. "Come on, you can do this! On my count!"

He looked over to Wanda. She was standing with her knees spread apart and her arms raised in the air. The woman was working very hard but not struggling. The Avengers training had fared her well. She took the opportunity to follow Steve's orders and read Miles mind. She took one hand down from the air and placed two fingers on her left temple.

"Come on, come on, come." Wanda could hear him inside her head. "Just hold it for a few seconds longer. I've gotta impress Steve."

She was snapped back to reality when she realised that Steve had already begun counting. "1, 2, 3!"

Wanda and Miles both threw their hands as high as they could. The force from her powers had assisted his water in flying outwards. The liquid slammed all fifteen of the sentries away from the group. Most were crushed underneath the force, but some still remained active.

Iron Machine ran forwards and aimed his suit. Both of his arms shot out rounds and rounds of bullets. Finally, the robots fell to the ground and the last of remnants of Ultron had been destroyed.

People began to crawl out from their hiding places – underneath cars and around street corners. Workers began to peer out of their office building's windows for the first time. As if they were all connected, the general public burst into loud cheers. The new Avengers team smiled, feeling accomplished. Maria lowered the jet over the river, lining up the rear end door with the edge of the shore.

"Come on, Miles." Steve laughed, pulling Miles into a sort of bro-hug. "You did well."

Rhodes walked over to one of the collapsed robots. He grabbed the limp body and threw it over his shoulder. "Let's get this one back to the base."

"This morning, not long after sunrise, a new team of Avengers showed us just how capable they are. After what seemed to be the last of Ultron's minions started wreaking havoc in New York City, the Avengers had arrived within minutes. But not only was it those who fought in the battle of Sokovia, the team seemed to have a new member."

The group had all assembled back at the base to watch a news report – everyone except Vision. In his words, he found there to be "nothing to gain from watching one's accomplishments after experiencing the event moments before." Rhodes slapped Miles on the shoulder in a friendly manner, after hearing about the newcomer on the news.

"His identity remains unknown." The blonde news reported continued. "However, what we do know is that he seems to have the power to control water. At one point in the fight, he managed to conjure up a force-field to protect his fellow Avengers."

"I can't take all the credit." Miles admitted, looking back at Wanda who was sitting cross-legged on the bed.

She shrugged, "You were the one that pushed yourself."

Suddenly, the news article cut off and the TV turned black. Nick Fury entered the room, tossing the remote control onto the bed. He placed his hands on his hips before looking to Miles and sighing.

"You impress me again, Miles." The man revealed. The teenager tried to conceal his smile. "I'm not saying that you're going to be on the team but I believe it would benefit you, if you were trained by the Avengers. They could each teach you a little something and assist you in controlling your powers."

"Thanks, Fury." Miles appreciated.

"You can start training when the clock strikes one." Fury told him.

"One o'clock?!" He exclaimed. "That's ten minutes!"

"Here at the Avengers base: we don't sit around." The older man announced. With a single nod, Fury turned around and left the room.

"Let me start the training with him." Wanda spoke up. "I know what I can teach him."

Less than five minutes later, Wanda and Miles were already walking into the training centre. The room was bright white, with white walls and white floors. It had very high ceilings, at least four storeys high. Foam-covered floor caused the two to bounce slightly as they walked. Along the first floor was a parkour course, equipped with slanted walls, building-like structures and zip lines.

On one side of the room was a small control panel. Wanda walked over to the machinery and pressed a few buttons. The floor opened up and the parkour course sank into the ground. Within seconds, the floor opened up once more and a small pool of water emerged, no larger than two bathtubs.

"I want you to fly." Wanda revealed.

"Fly?!" Miles exclaimed. "I can't fly!"

She smirked. "You can manipulate the water to raise you up. If I'm correct in what I'm thinking, you'll be able to make the water swirl around your feet. Once you've got it moving at a constant pace, rise the water up into the air and you should rise too."

"Okay, I'll try." He told her.

The young man rubbed his hands before raising them in the air. A third of the water in the pool rose up and began to make its way over to him. The teenager walked forwards too, meeting the water in the centre of the room. Wanda watched intently from the side-lines, silently observing. When the water came into contact with him, it began to swirl around his feet. The pace quickened until the water was moving as fast as a flooding reservoir.

Miles slowly rose his hands up in the air. The feeling of his feet being pulled away from the floor was a very strange sensation, almost sickening. Wanda smiled – she was right. Miles rose a few feet into the air before beginning to sway from side-to-side. Maintaining his balance was very hard. Suddenly, the man lost his balance and toppled backwards, falling from the artificial platform. He shouted a she fell, landing harmlessly on the soft floor.

"And that's why the floors are foam." Wanda giggled. Miles lay on his back for a second. He watched the water platform continue to rise, as if he was still standing on it. "Come on! No time for a nap! Try again."

The young man brought the water platform back to the ground and manipulated it into surrounding his feet once more. Miles smiled as he rose and rose… and rose and rose. "I can't stop! I don't know how!" He shouted down to Wanda.

"I can't do anything!" She shrugged, wanting Miles to find a solution himself. The boy's head hit the ceiling as the platform began to rise. He toppled backwards once again, falling from a much greater height this time. Wanda held her hand out, ready to catch him with one of her energy fields, if he were not to save himself.

Seconds before he smacked into the ground, Miles whipped his hand around and controlled the remaining water left in the pool. He quickly moved the water underneath him, creating a rather large splash as he landed on the floor. Wanda sprinted over, worried. The water cleared away to revealing a completely unscathed, smiling Miles.

A few tries later and Miles had mastered the art of levitation. Wanda left with a polite goodbye and into the room came Natasha. She walked straight over to the console and started pressing various buttons. The pool of water disappeared into the floor and eight training dummies rose from various places in the ground.

"Sometimes you won't have water to your advantage. If we get called out to a location in the desert, you'll be virtually useless." She nonchalantly explained. "You need to learn how to handle a gun."

Natasha took her pistol from its holder on her belt. She explained to Miles all of the different parts – from the magazine release to the safety clip. Afterwards, she grabbed his shoulders and turned him around to face the dummies.

"Now, raise the gun but don't fire until I tell you to do so." Natasha instructed. Miles held the gun straight forwards, arms locked into place. He wasn't sure what to do – the only experience he had with guns was from the little amount of action movies that he'd been allowed to watch in the underground facility. "Loosen your arms, don't lock your elbows." Miles relaxed slightly pulling the gun closer to him. "Now, look down the sight. Line up the rear sight with the front sight. Don't hold the gun too close to your face. The top part will slide back, once you've fired, to eject the empty shell."

Miles lined the gun up with the closest dummy's head. He closed on eye to aim. "I'm ready." He announced.

"Then fire." Natasha instructed. The young man fire the bullet once, missing the dummy by a long shot. "Don't worry, just keep firing. You'll get it eventually." Miles fired another bullet and, again, he missed. Although, the next bullet hit the dummy on the left shoulder. It wasn't exactly where he was aiming – the head – but it was an improvement. It took three more shots for Miles to hit the head. The bullet smashed into the eyebrow area.

"Not bad." The redhead opined. "You'd have taken that one out but you wouldn't have that long in combat. You'd need to take him out with the second bullet, if not the first."

"If all else fails, I can always use my powers to take them out." Miles told her. "Around sixty percent of the body _is_ water."

Natasha folded her arms. "It's always good to have a back-up plan to rely on. Try again and, this time, don't leave it so long between bullets. In combat, you'll want to choose having the most rounds per minute over accuracy."

An hour later and Natasha was satisfied with her work. On average, Miles would be able to take someone out with the fourth bullet fired from a gun. It wasn't perfect but it was an improvement from not knowing how to even fire a gun at the start of the session. Natasha left swiftly and Miles was joined by his undoubtedly favourite Avengers: Captain America.

"Miles, nice work." Steve smiled as he entered. He motioned up to a balcony that had been constructed at the top of the room. Fury stood there with a blank face, watching the pair. "I've been watching. You're definitely able to hand yourself."

Miles tried to conceal his blushing. He hadn't realised that there was a viewing platform. "What're you here to teach me, then?"

Steve walked over to the console and pressed a single button. The parkour track rose up from the ground. Miles gulped, watching it rise from the floor and never seeming to stop. Some of the structure were as tall as actual buildings.

"Ladies first." He joked.

"I'll show you how it's done." Steve smirked.

He ran straight ahead placing his foot on the edge of a faux window and climbing up onto the roof of one of the structures. Steve sprinted across the foam block, which was at least a storey high, and leaped onto the next one. The man then turned left and scaled another wall to climb even higher. Now two storeys up, Captain America jumped and grabbed onto a large pole. He shimmied across a wide gap, legs dangling below him. Then, Steve wasted no time as he jumped across to the next platform, somersaulting in the air.

"Show off!" Miles called up to him, grinning.

Within thirty seconds, Steve was already sliding down the zip wire. He landed safely on both feet and pulled a stopwatch from his pocket. "1 minute and twelve point three-two seconds." He announced. "Your turn."

"You're not going to give me some tips?" Miles asked.

"Here's a tip: don't fall." Steve cheekily advised. The younger man laughed, shaking his head.

Miles sprinted towards the first wall, using the faux window ledge as a springboard. He grabbed onto the edge of the structure and pulled himself up. He was fast but definitely not as fast as Captain America. The teenager ran across the surface and jumped off the edge. He jumped too late – half of his foot already being off the edge – and his jump fell short. Miles stretched his hands out and grabbed the edge of the next block. He landed with his stomach smashing against the edge.

"That's gotta hurt." Steve winced.

Struggling, Miles managed to pull himself up and continue onto the course. He used the same tactic to make his way up the next block, using the foamy window ledge as a springboard. The man was sweating heavily and the anticipation of the next part of the course was not helping. Taking his time, Miles hopped up and grabbed the edge of the horizontal pole. He made his way across, swinging his body as he went. At one point, the sweat on his palm caused his hand to slip. His heart sank in his chest, scared to be left dangling with only one hand grasping the pole. Eventually, he was able to regain his grip and finish the section.

"I don't think I'll somersault this section." Miles shouted down to his friend. "I don't want to show off."

Steve looked down at the stopwatch. "You're already at two and a half minutes! You don't have time to show off!"

Jumping across the small gap, Miles landed with a quiet thud. He scaled the next wall with ease and made his way over to the zip line. He grabbed the handle and flew off the edge of the structure.

While flying downwards, his eyes met Fury's. They looked less cold to Miles, as they had been before. The man stumbled when he hit the ground and rolled onto his back. Steve laughed as helped Miles up.

Steve's phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and recognised the caller ID as Nick Fury. He answered, looking up to the balcony.

"We've made some progress with the sentry that you brought back from the battle. Come to the lab on the second floor." Fury instructed.

"We'll be there."

In the lab, the sentry laid over a large white table. Surrounding the room were various shelves stocked with liquids that Miles didn't recognised. The room was nothing out of the ordinary and wouldn't have looked out of place in a school. The Avengers and Fury were all circled around the sentry, with Maria Hill standing next to its head.

"What the technicians have discovered is that these actually aren't Ultron's Sentries. They are actually similar robots that have been created from the destroyed Sentries." Maria Hill explained. She pointed at the robot's arms. "As you can see, this sentry as two right arms."

"Who would choose to rebuild these robots?" Rhodes asked.

"We don't know _who_ rebuilt these robots. Although, we will be able to find out where they are. In the head of this sentry, there is a control mechanism. It runs wirelessly and the robot is controlled by signals that are sent back and forth from the controller." Maria went on. She removed the top of the robot's head and reached in, pulling out a metal box with a single blinking light. "With some luck, we'll be able to-"

"Wait, shhh." Sam stopped her from talking. "Listen." The box was making a quiet beeping sound. The sound started off peeping slowly and quietly yet the pace began to quicken and the noise grew louder.

"The device is going to explode." Vision stated.

"Wanda!" Maria called.

Scarlet Witch conjured up an energy shield. She rose the box from Maria's hand and caused it to levitate in the middle of the room. The Avengers watched eagerly, protected by the bubble that surrounded the item. It soon exploded with the result being confined to the small bubble. The box shattered into a few large pieces. Wanda lowered the fragments and placed them next to the sentry.

"Someone get to reassembling this." Maria ordered one of the technicians. An older man walked over and gathered up the scraps, taking them away.

"Whoever rebuilt the sentries does not want to be found." Fury declared.

"Well, whoever it was, they were watching us." She continued. "A live feed of the battle was transmitted to their location. What were they watching for? We don't know."

"Hey, Miles." Natasha got his attention. "It couldn't be Dr. Winters, could it? From the facility?"

Miles gulped. The trauma of the facility had been pushed to the back of his mind. He'd been too busy to even think about it. "Uhh… I don't know. It could be." He answered. "It would explain who they were watching."

"Let's not jump to conclusions." Steve countered. "We don't know who this is. I got some people to run a database search on anyone with the name Winters. Nothing wholesome came up. I wouldn't be surprised if Winters stays in hiding for the rest of their life. What they did underground would earn them a life sentence."

There's no use in speculating." Fury declared. "We'll call you back when we've got some solid information. The technicians will be working through the night so you should all stay at the base tonight. Team dismissed."

The team all left the room. Fury was left standing over the robot, a few technicians loitering behind him. He thought deeply, stroking his beard. There wasn't many events that left him stumped, but this was one of them.

That night, Miles tossed and turned in his sleep. In this dreams, he relived the trauma that had been afflicted upon him in the underground facility. He saw them re-administer the electro shock therapy, sending waves surging through his body. He relived the torturous hours of exercise, leaving him unable to stand. He saw the faces of the beaten-up children, after their attempt at escaping had failed.

Miles sat up from the bed, screaming at the top of his lungs. He moved around in the bed for a while after having forgotten where he was.

All of a sudden, Steve burst through the door after kicking it open. He looked very flustered and obviously concerned for Miles. The blond wore nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and an unzipped cardigan. At any other time, Miles would probably have appreciated the view.

The younger man sat on his bed curled up in a ball. His hands were either side of his head and he was murmuring into his own chest. Steve instantly recognised the state. In his time, he'd seen a lot of people act this way. After over eight years of being locked up in the bunker, Miles was suffering from PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder.

"Miles?" Steve crept towards him slowly. "Are you okay?"

The man on the bed began to rock from side to side. On the dresser, a glass of water began to shake. Carrying the glass with it, the liquid flew across the room. It smashed on the opposite wall.

"What's going o-" Wanda appeared at the doorway, dressed in a robe. She stopped herself from speaking when she realised what was happening. Miles remained hunched up on his bed, whispering nonsense to himself.

Steve was distraught. He hated seeing Miles like this. "Wanda, put him back to sleep… Please…" He stuttered.

Treading carefully and quietly, Wanda made her way towards him. She moved her hand forwards gingerly and placed two fingers on one of Miles' temples. Immediately, the boy fell out of his ball shape and back onto his bed, sleeping peacefully.

Wanda moved back to Steve. He stared down at the nineteen year old with tears in his eyes. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Steve. Let's go."


	5. Chapter 5 - On The Run

"What's wrong with me?" Miles stuttered. Wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and a dressing gown, Miles sat at a desk in one of the base's many offices. Nick Fury stood with his back to the young man, staring out of the window. Behind the teenager stood Steve and Wanda. As soon as he'd awoke, the pair had taken Miles to see Fury.

"There's nothing wrong with you," Steve affirmed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "PTSD is a natural thing. You went through a horrible ordeal, Miles. This kind of behaviour isn't strange."

Miles looked up at the man and placed his hand on top of Steve's. "Thanks."

Fury turned away from the window and back towards the trio. He thought for a second. "Now, I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with you, but what you did last night could've hurt someone. You lost control of your powers. We know what you did to that guard in the facility and I won't let it happen to any of my agents here, even if it does happen through an accident."

"That's not going to happen." While he spoke, Miles leant forwards and slammed his fist on the table. As soon as the hand collided with the table, it began to pour with rain outside. It was an unusual change in the weather, going straight from partly-cloudy skies to extremely heavy raining in a matter of a second.

"That was you, Miles." Wanda realised. In shock, her eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped open.

"It makes sense." Steve understood. "You must be able to control water vapour too. When you get angry, you're able to increase the density of the water and cause it to rain."

Fury shot a look over his shoulder to observe the weather. "This is what I mean. You can't even control your powers when you're not having one of your episodes."

"Why do you hate me?" Miles stood up from his seat, placing both hands on the desk and leaning forwards. He furrowed his brow, the rain becoming heavier as he did so.

"Hey! Come on, Miles!" Steve stopped the younger man. "Fury doesn't hate you."

"You've done nothing but put me down ever since I came out of that facility!" The young man shouted at Fury. "You want me to leave this place? Fine, I'll go! But, what will happen? Some young boy with strange abilities just homeless on the street? One day you'll need me and, if you let me go, I won't be there to help!"

Rain continued to pour down from the heavens. The operatives on the ground floor quickly ran inside, using their briefcases as cover from the rain. It showed no signs of easing up.

"Are you trying to blackmail me into letting you stay?" Fury rose his eyebrows. He remained calm and sat down in his leather seat. "I don't take kindly to threats. Most threats lead to someone getting hurt."

"Fury, if I wanted to, I could kill you within minutes of walking into this room!" Miles spat.

"Hey, calm down!" Steve shouted at Miles.

"Sixty percent of the body is water, remember?" The teenager softened his tone at Steve's intrusion. "You could be on that floor as shrivelled as a prune. Luckily, I don't want to do that."

"That sounds like another threat." Fury spoke monotonously.

"I'm leaving and I'm taking Penny with me! I haven't even seen her since we arrived her. Only God knows what you're doing to her." With them final words, Miles stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

After hurrying up to the suite and grabbing a bag, Miles quickly changed his clothes and he began to pack. He wore a pair of loose-fitting jeans and a simple t-shirt. The things he was packing weren't really his in the first place – the robe, toilet rolls, the mini shampoos. In a fit of anger, Miles was jamming everything into a small rucksack. The teenager shut the bag and threw it on his back, before turning and heading out the door.

Suddenly, he felt a pain on his forehead and was knocked back. He stumbled but quickly regained his stature. Miles walked forwards with his hand outstretched. In the doorway, he felt something. A wall, yet it was invisible. He pushed his hands against it but the transparent wall would not budge. Irritated, the man threw the bag from his back.

"Uggghh!" He shouted. "Wanda, I know that you're doing this!"

"Just agree to talk to us." She demanded, appearing in the doorway.

"There's nothing to talk about." Miles frowned, sitting down on the end of the bed.

Wanda removed the invisible blockage and entered the room, Steve walking beside her.

"Fury isn't too fond of you." The blond stated. "But, he wouldn't act like this unless he had a valid reason. He's just trying to protect the base."

"I know…" The younger man sighed. He took a deep breath before speaking. The rain eased off, but it didn't not stop. "It's just… I don't think I deal with this…"

"Deal with what?" Steve asked.

"Just… everything. I don't even remember my life before the bunker… I was never schooled, I can't get a job… How am I going to survive in this world?" A tear fell from Miles cheek as he spoke. The young man held up his hand and drew the tear away from his face. It floated in mid-air for a second before falling to the ground.

"You can survive this world." Steve told him, sitting next to him on the bed. "I managed to do it and I missed decades. We'll all help. It won't be easy but you will be able to adapt."

"He's right." Wanda agreed. "I was held in HYDRA's base for years. It wasn't as long as you two were away, but it was still some time. I didn't only adapt to a different time, I adapted to a different country. America is a lot different to Sokovia."

"Okay." Miles nodded, wiping another tear from his face.

"I know how we can start!" Steve exclaimed. "Tonight, we'll all go down to the sushi bar in town! It sounds gross but you're gonna love it!"

Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Rhodes, Sam and Miles all walked down a strip of stores in their local mall. They all wore some sort of clothing to try and prevent them from being recognised, even Miles. After the event with the sentries, he had gained a lot of media attention. The teenager wore a baseball cap and a pair of RayBans, as Steve had suggested. Vision had decided not to attend the outing. Bonding and recreation wasn't in his nature.

The all turned left into one of the restaurants and waited to be seated. After requesting to be given a table at the back of the room, the group took their seats and began to remove their disguises. Natasha pulled the sunhat from her head and brief shook her head, allowing her red hair to move freely.

Miles sat at the end of the table, opened the menu and frowned, "What the hell is a spicy crab roll?"

Sam, who was sitting next to him, laughed. "Don't worry. I'll order for you."

An hour later and the group were still sitting in the sushi restaurant. The roar from their table was extremely loud as they chatted and laughed the evening away. The night had been a big bonding experience for all of them. It wasn't all about introducing Miles and getting to know him. Wanda got to know Sam and found that they shared a love of spicy food. The sun had already set and there was no sign of the group leaving.

Sam was halfway through telling a joke from his time in the navy. Everyone was absorbed in the story, eagerly waiting for the punchline. "So, there I was, flying over the pyramids in Egypt…"

Rhodes noticed something behind Sam and cocked his head. He looked past the other man, watching as a few mysterious figures entered the restaurant.

"Guys…" He attempted to get their attention. No-one responded, still listening intently to Sam's story.

"And I look down and you'll never guess who was there!" The man continued.

"Guys!" Rhodes tried again to get their attention. He rose from his seat and watched the mysterious figures weave around the tables. The movement finally got the rest of the group's attention.

Miles turned around in his seat. Right in front of his face, less than two inches away, a large muscular man stood. He wore an all-black uniform with opaque sunglasses. The teenager had no time to react as the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe. He slammed it into the young man's neck and sent the green liquid surging through his veins.

Instantaneously, Steve leaped up from his chair and sent his fist crashing against the man's jaw. The rest of the Avengers jumped up from their seats. They were heavily outnumbered – six of them against at least fifteen assailants.

Sam and Rhodes sprinted towards the group of men, both using their army backgrounds to take them down. One of the largest men began to attack Rhodes. The Avengers held his arms up, defending himself from the man's attacks. Then, Rhodes crashed his fist against the man's stomach before sending one final blow to the head, knocking him out cold.

Wanda ran over towards Miles. The young man was convulsing on the floor, shaking heavily with foam pouring from his mouth. She conjured up a force-field in order to protect them both from further harm. After yanking the syringe out from his neck, Wanda sent it sliding across the wooden floor. She acted quickly, checking his throat for any blockages. As she hurriedly tried to nurse Miles, one of the men began to bang on the force-field. The young woman knew that he wouldn't be able to get in, but the thudding noise was rather annoying. Wanda threw one of her hands in his general direction. The man bounced up from the floor and flew through the air, crashing against the opposite wall.

Natasha had been cornered by three of the goons. The woman cracked her knuckles before leaping into action. She jumped upwards and extended her leg outwards. Her foot collided with one of the men's jaw, dislocating it and knocking him over. One of the other men reached for a pistol that hung from his belt. The Black Widow grabbed one of the other men, using him as human shield. The gunman's arm swayed back and forwards as he tried to focus on Natasha. Eventually firing, the man sent a bullet into his own colleague's forehead. The redhead dumped the body on the floor before attacking the gunman. With a quick disarming technique, she seized the gun and held it against the man's forehead. Natasha hesitated and moved the gun, firing one shot into each of the man's knees. He slumped to the floor as she moved onto her next target.

As he fought, Steve placed a Bluetooth headset over his ear. The man battled against the crowd and quickly ducked out the way of one of the men's swinging arms. As he fought the attackers, Steve listened to the ringing in his hear before an answerphone message was heard – "You've reached Nick Fury's office-." The blond cancelled the call before hearing the rest of the message. Another man sent his fist crashing forwards, causing Steve to lean to left to dodge it. He then grabbed the attackers arm and twisted it to the side, cringing a little as the arm dislocated.

One of the aggressors jumped onto the back of Sam's back, slamming his elbow into the dark-skinned man's skull. He grabbed the attacker's hand and flipped the bad guy over. With a loud crack, he landed on the hard, wooden floor. Sam observed the surroundings, noticing that there were only three attackers left.

Now equipped with a gun, Natasha made quick word of the remaining men. She took the first down with a shot to the stomach. The bullet passed straight through the man's abdomen and out the other side. Rhodes was wrestling with the second to last man. They circled each other, preventing the redhead from getting a clear shot. Without warning, the final man ran into Natasha and brought her down to the floor in a tackle that resembled a move in American football. The pistol flew out from her hands and slid across the floor.

Looking up for a few seconds from Miles' depreciating body, Wanda noticed the moving pistol. Holding her hand out, the woman used her powers to reverse the pistol's direction and send it back to Natasha. In the meantime, the man had pinned the other woman down, one hand on each wrist. The pistol landed perfectly in Natasha's left hand.

"Go to hell." She spat as she sent a bullet through the man's chest. His body fell limp and collapsed on top of her. She scoffed loudly, climbing out from underneath him. By the time she was back on her feet, Rhodes had already disposed of the final man.

As Steve ran over to the two, Wanda allowed the force-field to fade away and gave him access to Miles' body. The teenager was no longer rapidly shaking. Instead, he was laying completely still with unusual foam dripping from his mouth. Wanda reached onto the table for a napkin and wiped the substance away.

While the two nursed Miles, Natasha, Sam and Rhodes engaged in a conversation.

"Who the hell were they?" Sam asked, leaning down to search one of the bodies.

"I don't know." Natasha admitted. "But they weren't tough to beat, that's for sure. If anyone really wanted to harm us, they would've sent people that were a lot stronger."

"What are you getting to?" Rhodes wondered.

"I would bet that these guys were hired by someone to capture us. They're probably just a dolled-up group of thugs." She went on.

"They've got virtually nothing on them – just the clothes that they're wearing." Sam rose back to his feet. "Oh shit, guys…" The man pointed to the edge of the store.

Large camera crews stood against the glass with microphone-holding news reporters beside them. Further back were dozens of people, all taking pictures and recording them on smartphones.

"They'll be fine – we haven't done anything wrong." Natasha told the two men. "Just don't answer any questions. We don't know who order this attack, yet." She then turned around and called back to the other. "Steve, come on. Let's go."

Captain America grabbed Miles' body and picked him up a cradle-like hold. The teenager head hung over the edge of his muscular arm, mouth falling open. The group begun to exit the restaurant. Steve was the last to exit and took a deep breath before doing so.

"How do you feel now that you've just attacked harmless citizens?" One of the reporters shoved a microphone into his face.

"Attack harmless… Wait, wha-?" Steve frowned. In the corner of his eye, a large flat-screen television had been hung in the centre of the mall. It showed a news report, using portions of security camera footage of the attack on the Avengers. It had been edited in a way that made the group look like they were acting in cold blood. "Nat, are you seeing this?" The man called, pushing past the reporter.

"Captain America seems to have no comment on the atrocity that I have just witnessed." The news reported looked into her camera. "Although, his facial expression tells us that he seems to be shocked and angered after the numerous acts of assault, performed by himself and his team, have been captured on camera. We'll keep you updated with the latest news on this shocking act."

Ten minutes and a lot of pushing through crowds later, the team finally made it to their car. It was a Range Rover Sport with three rows of seats, just about big enough for them all to fit in. Steve climbed into the back seats first and laid Miles next to him, letting the younger boy's head fall onto his lap. Wanda and Rhodes took the middle row and Natasha took the passenger seat, leaving Sam to drive.

"We're going back to base, yeah?" Sam inquired. He pulled the car out of the parking lot, speeding past a group of reporters. The sound of Steve's phone ringing bounced around the car.

"Hello?!" He answered, turning the call on speaker phone.

"It's Fury." The man on the other end of the line spoke. "You can't come back to the base. There are police here and they're ready to take you into custody."

"What?!" Steve exclaimed.

"It's strange." Fury went on. "They were here before I even heard the news."

"Where are supposed to go?!" Wanda asked.

"Turn on channel six now!" Fury demanded, ignoring her question.

Natasha pressed a few buttons on the dashboard before the small screen lit up. They sat and watched another news report as Sam drove, not really sure of his destination. The report detailed how the police have tasked the top tracking experts to locate and arrest the Avengers. It even featured a segment from the Mayor of New York, stating that the Avengers are not exempt from the justice of the law.

"They got Mr. Albert Cortez on your case." Fury expanded on the information. "He's with the CIA and his team has tracked down most of the major terrorists that are currently in custody. I'm going to give you advice and you're going to need to follow it. Throw away your cell-phones. Do not use your credits cards. Do not visit any of your friends. Do not make any calls to any of your friends – their phones will be tapped. Don't stay in the same car for more than a day; number plate recognition will catch you out."

"We need Vision." Wanda told Fury, leaning to speak into the phone.

"No can do. If the police see him leave, they'll follow him straight to you. A bright red man sticks out like a sore thumb." Fury dismissed. "Good luck, team. You're on your own to sort this one out."

The sound of Fury hanging up sent the group uneasy. For a short few seconds, nothing but silence existed within the car. The Range Rover sped down the highway, no intended destination.

"Let's go to Sharon Carter's apartment. They won't expect us there." Steve broke the silence.

"Steve, did you not hear what he just said?" Natasha exclaimed. "We can't. She works for the CIA, anyway. They'd be on us within hours."

Sam bit his lip in thought. "I've got an idea."

After an hour of driving, the group had left New York City and were driving along a hilly path. To the right of the car was a dense forest and to the left was a sharp, rocky descent. The car continued to zoom along, cutting through the rocky terrain. Eventually, the car rolled to a stop at a clearing in the trees.

It was an odd sight. It looked like a random factory had been built on the edge of a large forest. There was a large wire-mesh fence that surrounded the whole property opened with a gate at the front. The main structure was a large box-like building with darkened windows that prevented anyone from looking inside it. There were two large chimneys protruding out from the roof. Another smaller building laid to the side. Forklifts and various other pieces of machinery was dotted around the yard.

Wanda quickly hopped out of the car and used her powers to destroy the padlock on the gate. As the gate moved open, the car slowly rolled into the compound. Sam stopped the car a few feet away from the main building. They all exited the car, Miles still being carried by Steve.

"What is this place, Sam?" The blond man asked, walking towards the two large metal doors that led inside.

"It used to be a t-shirt factory, like fifty years ago." He explained.

"How did you know it was here?" Rhodes enquired.

Sam went to speak and then stopped. He thought for a second, before stuttering as he began. "When they come back from warfare, a lot of servicemen find themselves homeless. A lot of them people used to live here – in this factory. As part of my work in helping soldiers diagnosed with PTSD, I used to come here and feed the veterans every week."

Natasha tried to open the door to the building. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. The door creaked open slowly. It revealed one large room, barely lit by the moonlight. The whole first floor consisted of the remnants of several desks and sewing machines. Mouldy mattresses and odds pillows laid scattered across the floor. In the far left corner, a staircase led up to a mezzanine level. The mezzanine level consisted entirely of an office with a large window, where the former boss had once watched over his workers.

"Where are the ex-servicemen now?" Natasha asked.

"As soon as someone noticed that they were staying here, they made an appeal to the court. Soon enough, this was classed as private property and anyone staying here would've been jailed." Sam continued. "I figured, as we're already on the run, we might as well ignore that last part."

"That's horrible." Rhodes opined.

"That's New York City." He countered.

A breeze drifted through the room, making their hairs stand on end. Wanda jumped as the metal door slammed behind them. The cold concrete floor and metal walls didn't make the factory seem like the most appealing place to spend the night.

"I'm gonna take one of these mattresses up into the office and set Miles down." Steve told them all. "I'll be back down soon."

An hour passed and the group were still awake. Steve, Rhodes, Natasha, Sam and Wanda all sat in a circle, a small campfire in the middle of them. They all felt drowsy but were putting off the task of going to sleep.

"I'm almost certain that it was Dr. Winters who hired them goons. She could've paid the journalists and reporters to be at the scene." Steve expressed his view. "It's not like she hasn't done it before. We know that she paid the journalists to drop the missing child cases, back in 2008."

"You're right." Natasha agreed. "But, we can't make assumptions. We need to decide if this is connected to the situation with the sentries."

"Someone _was_ watching us. We know that." Rhodes added.

"And the box blew up, remember?" Wanda added. "The person who was watching us didn't want to be found."

"Maybe they weren't watching _us_ , but just watching Miles." Sam realised. "And the goons could've been hired to take him in."

"Or, all of us." Wanda was the next to speak. "I wouldn't put it past them to try and capture Steve and I, too. Imagine what they could do with enhancements and powers like ours."

"It does all piece together." Natasha sighed. "So, what's the next step?"

"The next step is sleeping." Steve told them all, uncrossing his legs and standing up. "I'll sleep upstairs with Miles. Y'know, to watch over him."

Wanda leant forwards towards the fire. She blew two sharp breaths and the fire flickered down to nothing. The room plummeted into cold darkness once again.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Day Before Tomorrow

The pitter-patter of rain landing on the roof of the disused factory echoed around the space. Steve turned over in his sleep, quietly breathing in and out. The man was shirtless, wearing only his trousers. After a while, his eyes fluttered open, hearing something out of the ordinary. The man frowned and looked up from floor.

Miles had gone.

Steve had slept a few metres away from Miles, both napping on equally-disgusting mattresses. The blond had made sure that he could see the younger man at all times. But, he just wasn't there. Steve crawled over to Miles' mattress. He pulled back the thin sheet back and then dropped it, feeling stupid for half-expecting the teenager to be cuddled up at the end. The man jumped to his feet and ran across the room, looking out across the lower floor.

Natasha and Wanda both slept soundly on the same mattress. Rhodes slept to the side, sprawled out on a double mattress. Sam slept on a thin sheet that had been spread across the floor. Being in the navy, it wasn't the first time that he'd slept rough.

Suddenly, something caught Steve's attention. He caught a glimpse of a figure exiting the building. The large metal doors slammed shut. Wanda stirred in her sleep but didn't awake. At lightning speed, Steve sprinted down the stairs and out of the door.

Rain fell down onto his hair, immediately flattening it. The gravel flooring felt sharp against the bottom of his feet. There was Miles. He stood a few feet in front of Steve, facing the other way. Miles looked extremely flustered. He was fully clothed yet wore no shoes. The teenager started to walk to his left but then turned backwards and went to the right. After a few second of pacing, Miles ran a hand through his hair.

"Miles!" Steve called running over to him. As he got closer, he could hear the other man murmuring.

"All my fault… All my-all my fault." The nineteen-year old kept repeating himself. His voice was raspy and unclear. "Others in danger. Must leave."

"Miles!" The blond shouted, catching up to him. Steve placed a hand on his shoulder but Miles quickly shrugged him off.

The younger man turned around and held his hands up at Steve. "Get away from!" He screamed at the top of his voice. "I won't let you conduct any tests on me, anymore!"

All of a sudden, Steve felt his eyeballs begin to dry up. His throat began to clog up with water from within his body. "Mi-" He choked. "It's me-e-ee. Steve!"

Miles cocked his head. He didn't understand. The only people that had ever touched him were those who went to take him to be tested. He dropped his hands by his side. Steve stumbled backwards yet quickly regained his posture.

"Steve?" He muttered.

"Miles, what's going on?" The blond gingerly stepped towards Miles. The man reached out to Miles with one hand as he approached, weary of his next action.

"I can't!" Miles voice remained raised. The rain continued to fall heavily. The teenager wiped his eyes. "You're all in danger because of me! Don't you understand?" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "I'm going to make myself known… I'm going to let them find me! I can't have anyone die because of me! Steve… I can't _let_ you die for me…"

Steve stepped forwards and caught Miles' body. The younger boy collapsed in his arms, sobbing loudly. "You're all in danger because of me… Because of me…" He spoke through the sobs.

The other man felt a strange sensation running through his body. He held Miles tight, never intending to let go. Steve felt… weird. Holding another muscular man in his arms wasn't what he was familiar with. It's not that he enjoyed seeing Miles like this. He just felt happy – knowing that he could comfort someone that he cared so much about.

"Come on…" Steve whispered, brushing a hand through Miles' messy hair. "Let's go inside."

"I'm sorry…" Miles sobs didn't ease. "I'm just so sorry."

"Hey, you don't have to be sorry." The blond told him, leading the other back inside.

The pair walked back up to the office area together. Both laying on the same mattress, Steve laid awake. He laid on the very edge of mattress, wanting to give Miles some space. The teenager had fell asleep seconds after their heads hit the pillows, giving him some time to think. A million thoughts ran through Steve's mind. Thought surrounding Miles using his powers on Steve and, mostly, the strange feelings that he was currently experiencing. After a while, his thoughts settled down and he fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, things were awkward between Miles and Steve. The previous night's events lingered in both of their minds. Miles didn't remember much, just the comforting feel of the other man's arms around him. At one point, the young man sat on the edge of a mattress as he spoke with Wanda.

"How did you sleep?" The brunette enquired.

Miles hesitated. "Yeah, I slept well."

Wanda frowned, sensing that something was wrong. Miles seemed reserved, shaking slightly and voice stuttering as he spoke. She was concerned for him. Out of pure care and in no way meaning to invade his privacy, the woman raised two fingers to her temple and read his mind. Within seconds, images of the previous night flashed before her eyes and she realised what had happened.

"What do you think of Steve?" Wanda asked, voice perking up at the end.

The question took the teenager by surprise. He felt his heart skip a beat. "Yeah, uh, he's cool."

"No, come on!" The woman smiled. "There's gotta be more than that." Miles simply shrugged. "Come on. Describe him to me in four words."

The young man frowned, confused, but he went along with it anyway. "Considerate, intelligent, passionate and uh… funny?! I don't know. What's the point of that question?"

"No reason." Wanda tried to conceal her grin. "I'm gonna go and find Natasha. I think she and Cap' are going to head in town to buy supplies."

"Sure, whatever." Miles shrugged. Wanda left, meaning he was alone with his thoughts. Why had he chosen then words? Steve was all of them and so much more. He was confident, friendly and sincere. He was though and witty, too. He was definitely not interested in Miles, that was for sure.

Steve and Natasha walked through a crowded city centre. The pair had chosen to walk the half hour journey into town, in fear of the number plate on the car being tracked. Natasha had wrapped a large scarf around her neck and wore sunglasses to cover her eyes. She had also tucked her hair up into a bun – a hairstyle that she wasn't too familiar with. Steve wore a baseball cap that he had found in the factory, pulling it right down to cover his face. The two had done tried their best not to be noticed. They stuck to the large clouds and tried to remain in open air where there couldn't possibly be any cameras.

"Facial recognition camera on the right, Steve." Natasha warned. "Look left." The two both tilted their heads away from its view.

"Does this remind you of anything?" The blond asked. "Maybe the time that I was on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D. and you came with me, even though you could've stayed and been in no danger at all. I never got to thank you for that, Nat."

"You're welcome." She half-heartedly replied, eyes darting around for other ways that they could be detected.

After a half hour of browsing stores, the pair found themselves in a Target. They browsed the isles, looking for anything that they needed but was small enough to snuggle out. They felt bad – of course they did – stealing groceries. But, it had to be done. Paying for the products meant using a credit card and that wasn't an option. The payment would be detected straight away and goons would be swarming them before the hour was over.

"Hey, Steve." Natasha got his attention as they walked down the toiletry isle.

"Yeah?" He replied, tossing a tube of toothpaste back onto the shelf.

"How do you feel about Miles?" The redhead pondered.

Steve stopped browsing and looked at her. "I think he's a worthy member of the team, if that's what you're asking."

"Steve…" Natasha sighed. "You know that that's not what I'm asking."

"Then, what are you asking?" He questioned, emptying toothpaste from its cardboard packaging and sliding the tube into his pocket. She shrugged and continued to walk onwards. After a few seconds, Natasha spoke again.

"I was talking to Wanda earlier. She asked Miles what he thought of you." The woman revealed. Unconsciously, Steve raised his eyebrows, curious about the response. However, once he realised what he had just done, he lowered them again. He didn't want to come off as too eager to hear the response.

"And? What'd he say?" The blond man asked.

"He said you're intelligent and funny. You know, all that personality stuff." Natasha answered. "He didn't say anything about your appearance, apparently – not one thing."

"Why does that matter?" Steve sighed, pretending not to be bothered.

"You know why it matters." She sighed even louder than he had. "Ever since the experiment – even before it – people judge you on the way you looked. I see how you react. When people keep complimenting you on your appearance, you don't like it. You wish someone would see who you really are. And _he_ does see that."

"Let's drop the subject." The man abruptly ordered, turning around and looking at her. "Are you done in this store?"

"Almost." Natasha said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed a small pack of tampons and stuffed it down her bra. "For Wanda." She told Steve. "Yeah, I'm done now."

As Steve and Natasha strolled back up towards the abandoned factory, they noticed something strange. It was pouring down with rain, yet they were bone dry. It wasn't raining where they were and water only seemed to fall within the grounds of the factory.

Natasha sighed loudly as the two broke into a run. "What the hell is Miles doing?"

The pair sprinted onto the property, dropping their full rucksacks just as the rain started to hit them. The other four Avengers where nowhere in sight. Suddenly, a loud clanging sound came from inside the main building. Steve slid the huge metal door open and entered the factory.

Off to one side, Wanda and Sam were calmly sitting in two lawn chairs. The brunette had conjured up a force-field to protect her and Sam from the others. Miles was standing in the middle of the room. Two streams of water flew in from the windows and swirled around his hands. Rhodes stood at the edge of the room, dodging the water missiles that the teenager sent his way. Tears fell from Miles' eyes, falling into the water stream. The boy was visibly distraught.

On the other hand, Rhodes had a completely different expression. He was smiling – close to laughing – as he jumped around the room.

"What's going on?!" Steve demanded an answer.

"Just a bit of fun." Rhodes laughed, hopping to the side and dodging another water missile.

"It doesn't look like Miles is having fun." Natasha scoffed as she walked over to Wanda and Sam. The woman dropped the force-field as Natasha approached. "What's going on?" She asked the pair.

"Come on, Miles." Steve approached the younger man slowly. "Just calm down…"

"Basically, Rhodes told Miles that his parents didn't love him." Wanda revealed. The redhead frowned, shocked at the revelation. "He didn't mean it or say it like that. It was just a passing comment. Miles was opening up about his abandonment at the facility, when he overreacted."

Natasha raised her eyebrows at Sam, wanting a second opinion. The dark-skinned man nodded. "It's true."

"Just calm down." Steve said, finally placing his hand on Miles' shoulder. As soon as the two touched, their eyes locked. Suddenly, all of the water dispersed in a globe shape. It flew through the room, like a wave heading in all direction. The water soaked through Steve and knocked him back onto the floor. The power had weakened by the time the waves hit the other Avengers, only soaking through their clothes.

Rhodes eyes grew wide, "I admit - that was impressive."

"Now we're soaked in dirty rainwater." Sam sighed loudly.

Miles seemed to relax. His shoulders lowered and he seemed less tense. "Sorry guys. I'll sort it out." The teenager brought his hand together and clapped. All of the water droplets instantly flew back towards him. The group turned bone-dry once again.

"You're getting more powerful," Steve told the other man as he stood up from the floor and brushed the dirt from his clothes.

"Yeah, I guess so." Miles mumbled, not making eye contact with him. The teenager turned around and walked upstairs before falling down onto his mattress.

With a sad expression on his face, the blond man kept his eyes on Miles as he disappeared into the office. Steve sighed loudly. He wanted to help Miles and tell him that everything was going to be okay. He just couldn't… There was feeling in his gut. A butterfly-like feeling in his stomach. The man sighed and ran a hand through his blond locks of hair.

That night, like every night since the killing of Donovan, Miles woke from his slumber. He sat up in his mattress, subconsciously screaming at the top of his lungs. After a second, the teenager realised what he was doing. Miles drew his knees up to his chest and hung his head. The boy silently wept in the middle of the darkness until…

The young man felt skin-to-skin contact on his right shoulder. He looked up and his swimming, blue eyes met Steve's gentle eyes. Miles noticed that they looked grey in the moonlight. The younger man placed his left hand on Steve's. He scooted over and allowed the other man entrance under the sheet.

Steve and Miles laid together on the double mattress. The blonde ran his fingertips along the other's back. It was a comforting, soothing gesture. There was something about Miles, something that made Steve feel vulnerable. He just wished he was confident enough to reach forwards and wrap his arms around the other man.

Soon enough, they both drifted off to the land of sleep. For only the second night in his whole life, Miles felt completely safe and protected.

Two days passed and virtually nothing had changed. They still resided in the factory, spending their all day talking or, in Miles and Wanda's case, practising their powers. Being on the run for three days was a lot harder than they had thought. The lack of a proper night's sleep and not being able to contact the outside world had taken a toll on the group. Steve and Miles had shared brief words, mostly Miles apologising for nearly killing the older man a few nights ago.

The end of day three was when everyone had had enough of sleeping rough. They all sat around in a circle, just like the first night, lighting a bonfire as their only source of warmth. A frustrated, tired mood fell across the group.

"Anyone want some mood lighting?" Miles joked. The irises of his eyes turned blue as he used his powers to make it rain outside. The attempt at comedy got a few quiet laughs from the group but it wasn't enough to raise morale. The young man yawned as he caused the rain to subside.

"I'm sick of this." Rhodes scoffed, breaking the silence.

"And me." Sam agreed. "We can't stay on the run forever."

"So, what do you propose?" Steve snapped.

"We get caught." Wanda put forward her idea. "On purpose."

"What's the point of that?" Natasha questioned.

"I'm pretty sure that they want us alive. Otherwise, they'd have just shot us all at the restaurant." The brunette continued. "We get ourselves captured. We get taken to their main base and… voila. We tear it apart from the inside."

"No, no, no…" Miles whispered, breaking his silence for the first time. All of the group's heads turned to face him. "You can't let them capture me again. I can't go through the tests again." He voice faltered at the end, a tear falling down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, Miles. But, it's the only way." Sam told him.

Miles sighed loudly and then bite his lip. The group waited, wanting him to speak next. After a minute or so, he looked up, a determined expression on his face. "So, when do we start?"

"Let's start now." Rhodes spoke as thought the idea wasn't completely insane.

"What?! No way!" Natasha exclaimed. "We can't get a captured tonight! We need to plan!"

"Plan what exactly?" Wanda sassily asked. "We don't know where we'll be taken or who we'll be up against. There isn't nothing to plan for. We either dive straight in with a blindfold on or we stay on the run forever."

The group fell into another silence. Everything that Wanda said was correct. They had to do it and there was no way that they could prepare. "How do we attract attention to ourselves?"

"I'll call the War Machine suit in. The base has it tracked so they'll know we're here." Rhodes told them.

"I can activate my gear, too." Sam added. "They'll be on us in no time."

"Sounds like I've got my plan." Natasha smirked.

"Let's go outside." Steve ordered. "We can begin out there."

They all exited building, each having a knot in their stomach. Sam's palms got sweaty. He'd flown into many warzones during his time in the navy but he'd never purposely brought the war to him. The man quickly ran to the car and collected his modified backpack. They all stood in a semi-circle formation, equally spaced apart. Miles looked at Steve, a distressed look on his face. The blond smiled back – another attempt at comforting.

"Ready?" Steve called.

"Ready." Rhodes, Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Miles all echoed.

The blond man smirked, excited to say the iconic phrase once again. "Avengers… assemble."


	7. Chapter 7 - Tomorrow

Taking a deep breath, Rhodes pressed a button on his bracelet. He held his arms out wide, making a t-formation on his body. The first piece of his machine came in sight within seconds, whizzing through the air. It landed on his upper shin with quite a force, knocking him backwards.

Sam's metallic winds spread out wide. They glistened in the moonlight. He pulled his goggles down over his face and inhaled deeply. He exhaled slowly, waiting for the inevitable.

"We let them take us, but we don't do it without a fight! First one to get captured loses!" Steve shouted. "Do some damage. Whenever and wherever we wake up, the first goal is to find each other."

Suddenly, a large SUV emerged from the trees to the east and skidded to a halt. Out piled a dozen of muscular figures, stereotypically males, just like the restaurant incident.

Miles was the first to jump into action as the men began to charge towards the Avengers. He caused it to rain once more, concentrating the droplets on the man. The tiny beads of water fell down like piercing arrows, feeling like sharp daggers on the men's skin. The young man clapped once. A shockwave of water flew through the air as the rainwater was drawn together. It slammed into the men, sending them tumbling backwards.

"Nice." Wanda smiled at Miles.

Two more vehicles emerged from the west, each containing several henchmen. They had definitely come prepared with force. Although, they hadn't brought guns with them. The group obviously didn't intend to kill. Quite a few men began to charge towards Sam.

"Time to try out something new." The dark-skinned man devilishly grinned. He began to twirl on the spot, picking up speed as the wings extended. Sam span around and around, faster and faster as he went on. The men ran towards him, trying to reach him, but they were simply thrown back to their spot.

At this point, the last piece of the War Machine – the face mask – found it's way onto Rhodes' face. The man extended his arm, ready to fire. He hesitated, having forgotten that they did actually want to be captured. The man retracted his arms and decide to fistfight. He landed his first punch straight across the jaw of one of the attackers. As the metal collided with the bone, it made a cracking sound and the man fell to the floor. Rhodes definitely wasn't going to be the loser that got caught first.

It was Wanda's time to shine. She began to curl inwards, crouching down and bringing her arms towards her. After a few seconds, the brunette jumped up and out. A wave of red energy sprung out from her chest, knocking everyone in her immediate vicinity down. Wanda grinned from ear to ear.

Natasha was already at work. She pivoted on one foot and raised the other leg, spinning round and smashing the heel of her boot into the vigilante's foreheads. Another group of men seemed to be cornering her so she grabbed one by the shoulders and propelled herself downwards, sliding underneath his legs and away from the group. No way was she going to be the first one caught.

Lastly, Steve started to fight. He threw several punches, landing in different places on the men's bodies – their chests, stomachs, jaws and more. The blond man kicked one of the men in the groin. He cringed as he carried the action out, knowing how sore that would be. The man toppled backwards and fell to the floor. Steve rolled his eyes. That was a bit of an overreaction. They had only been fighting for ten minutes and he had already taken down a dozen men. He chuckled to himself. He'd would have to tone it down to be captured.

Across the yard, Rhodes was struggling with a group of men. They had all sprinted towards him at once. Of course, his natural instinct was to raise the suit's guns, but he couldn't do that. Two men worked together to rugby tackle him to the floor. Another man grabbed the chin of the suit and ripped it back. The light that was penetrating the suit made Rhodes squint. Eventually, his eyes focused to see the man holding a vial of green liquid. The same liquid that they had used on Miles. He knew that it wasn't harmful but it still made him worry. The man pierced the skin on Rhodes' cheek with a needle and injected the liquid into his blood. Before his eyes rolled into the back of his head, the last thing he heard was the sound of Wanda shouting: "Loser!"

Wanda wasn't struggling at all. She had created a force-field that surrounded herself and protect her from any danger. The droplets of rain fizzed as they hit the red energy. As much as the men smashed their fists on the outside, they wouldn't be able to get in. However, Wanda was tired. She was panting heavily. Using her powers with what little energy she had was extremely draining. She decided that she would be the next to go. Besides, Wanda wouldn't be the loser anyway. With a deep breath, she lowered her hands and let the shield disintegrate away. The men didn't hesitate to run towards her. One of them stabbed the needle into her neck and injected the fluid into her body. Wanda immediately collapsed onto the floor.

Less than a minute later, Natasha was also unconscious. She felt like she had been fighting for hours. Men felt like they were just coming and coming… A never-ending stream of enemies… She was Black Widow. She wasn't invincible. Although, Natasha saw giving up as a loss of dignity. In any other situation, the redhead would've taken down every single one of them. But it was all too much… A wave of relief fell through her body when the needle piercing her skin. At least she would be able to get some sleep before having to fight again.

"Natasha!" Sam called as he saw the other woman fall. The dark-skinned man dived towards her but was tripped over by one of the other men's legs. He stumbled forwards and face-planted the floor. The position allowed easy access to the skin on the back of Sam's neck. Within seconds, the fluid was flowing throughout his veins and he too was sent into a coma-like state.

Steve and Miles were the only ones left. As he fought, the older man sent a look over to Miles. The teenager had a few beads of sweat on his forehead and a determined look on his face. He didn't look as though he was going to give up like the others. But maybe, if he saw Steve get taken, he would let them inject him.

The blond man eventually lessened the strength of his blows, allowing the enemies to get closer. A particularly muscular goon tackled Steve to the floor and held the man's hands behind his back. Hastily, the attackers injected the fluid into a vein on his wrist.

Miles was continuing to fight the men. He rose his hands and gathered the raindrops together, creating one large ball of malleable liquid. After sending the liquid crashing into two of the men, the pair stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. The teenager looked to the right for a second, long enough to see that Steve had been knocked out. He gulped. Miles was very scared – absolutely terrified. But he had to do it. At his will, the rain abruptly stopped. One man leaped forwards and grabbed Miles, turning him around and wrapping his arms around the teenager. Miles watched as the needle neared him, eventually piercing the skin on his neck.

Everything went dark. The factory grounds went hauntingly quiet. No birds chirped. The trees didn't make noise in the wind. The pitter-patter of rain disappeared. The Avengers were down.

"Ma'am," One of the goons spoke into his headset. "We have the Avengers."

On the other end of the phone, Lilith Winters devilishly smiled. She stood in the middle of a science laboratory, wearing a lab coat and having her hair tied back into a tight ponytail. The woman strutted over to a microscope and peered down into the lens. Beneath the equipment was a single strand of hair that had been trapped between two glass slides. The equipment must've been modified as Dr. Winters could see the double helix in the DNA of the hair. The helix looked strange… Part of it was translucent and looked like it was moving.

Lilith moved away from the equipment and walked over to the door. It had a big wheel that had to be turned for the door to open. She loudly cleared her throat and one of the scientists ran over to open the door for her. The woman also threw the lab coat off her shoulders, revealing a black cat-suit underneath. One of the other lab technicians instantly ran over and grabbed the coat, cowering in fear.

As the door flew open, Dr. Winters stepped out of the room. In fact, she stepped out onto the deck of a huge naval ship. The woman giggled to herself, a determined look on her face. She reached up and pulled the hairband from her hair. She shook her hair and let her black hair fall straight downwards. Lilith looked out at the sea.

A Hispanic man approached her from one side. It was Albert Cortez – the trackers that Fury had previously mentioned to the Avengers. The man was balding and had little brown hair on the side of his head. He wore a plain navy suit. "Excuse me, Miss Winters." He tried to get her attention, his voice faltering. The woman rose an eyebrow, motioning for him to speak. "We still have time to change the base's location. I d-don't think that bringing the boy here is the best idea."

"Albert, dear." Lilith smiled. "You've brought the Avengers to me. You've served your purpose." In one swift movement, she grabbed from a pistol from her belt and shot a bullet through Albert's foot. He instantly screamed and hopped onto his one healthy foot. For the first time, Dr. Winters turned her head to look at him in the eye. "Don't ever tell me that my ideas aren't the best."

The man limped away, leaving Lilith to herself. She stood at the edge of the ship, waiting. After ten minutes, three helicopters came into view. The woman smiled and bit her lip. "Let the fun commence."

An unknown amount of time later, Steve awoke in a strange location. His head spun as he tried to focus his eyes. Eventually, the blur faded and he could see the strange room. Metal walls, metal floor, metal ceiling. There was a single door which too was metal. The blond man had been tied upright against a board, fabric straps around both his ankles and wrists. They were no match for him. He pushed against the restraints and they soon snapped open.

Steve stumbled forwards, one hand on his head. Whatever they had injected into his body was not agreeing with him. Once the man regained his strength, he noticed that there was a small television in one corner of the room. As if on que, the picture on the screen lit up.

In the pre-recorded message, Dr. Lilith Winters stood in the ship's science lab. "If you're hearing this, it means that you are no use to us." She revealed. Steve frowned. Deep down, he knew that this woman was Dr. Winters but he had always imagine Winters as male. "And what do we do of people that we no longer need? We discard of them."

All of a suddenly, water started to pour in the room from a pipe over Steve's head. It struck his hair at first, flattening the blond locks and making him jump. Where was Miles when you needed him? The thought made the man's heart skip a beat. Where even was Miles?!

As the room started filling up with water, Steve hastily searched for an exit. Within seconds, the water was already above his ankles. The room was filling up fast. He launched himself at the door in an attempt to break it open. There was a loud smash and a throbbing pain through Steve's arm, but it didn't move. He tried again and again, each time damaging his arm even more.

The water was soon up to Steve's neck. He took one last deep breath and threw himself underwater. With one huge kick, he finally managed to pry the door open. However, a huge wave of water came in from outside and filled up the remaining space in the room. The hero swam out of the room and did his best to keep his eyes open, swimming upwards. A short while later, his lungs began to scream for air. Finally, he reached the surface of the sea. Steve deeply inhaled and wiped his eyes before examining the ship. It was breath-taking and looked huge in the final moments of sunrise… How on earth was he going to find the others?

By that time, Natasha had woken up. She struggled against her restraints, not as strong as Steve. The pre-recorded message flickered on before she had even found a way to move. She stopped fidgeting to watch, achieving her first glimpse of Dr. Winters.

"If you're hearing this, it means that you are no use to us." The message began. Natasha scoffed loudly. "And what do we do of people that we no longer need? We discar-" It cut off before Winters could even finish her sentence. One of the wires that provided the television with electricity had come loose and fallen to the floor. As the room began to fill with water, sparks of electricity hovered across the surface.

Natasha had to act quickly. She had seconds before she would be electrocuted to death. With adrenaline rushing through her veins, the woman kicked out with her left foot. The restraint snapped and, a few seconds later, she was free. Natasha hopped across onto a wooden crate. This gave her a few more seconds of precious time. It would take longer for the electrified water to reach the top of the crate.

The woman's jade eyes scanned the ceiling of the room. There was a grate not far away from her that lead into a ventilation system which provided the room with air. Natasha rose to her feet, balancing on the edge of the crate. The water level was almost at her feet.

Her fingers stretched out, only just reaching the rim of grate. The woman flicked it out of place and it slipped through the whole, into the water. Without hesitation, Natasha leaped forwards and grabbed onto the edge of the ventilation shaft. She slipped… but quickly regained her grip, feet being only a few centimetres away from the water.

Crawling through the tight space, Natasha had no plan. Only one thing was certain: She had to find the others.

Rhodes was the next to wake up and was presented with exactly the same scenario as Steve. There was the pre-recorded message, the rising water level and fear or drowning. But Rhodes wasn't as worried as the blond man had been. Foolishly, the goons that Dr. Winters had hired to capture them didn't think to take Rhodes' special bracelet away from him. The dark-skinned man pressed a button on the metal, calling his suit. Within seconds, the first piece of War Machine smashed through the metal door. It attached itself to Rhodes' hamstring.

Outside, something caught Steve's eye. A piece of metal flew directly towards him. The man swam out of the way and the piece dived into the water before entering the ship. There was only one thing that it could be – Rhodes' suit.

A minute passed before War Machine suddenly burst out of the water. He flew directly upwards before performing three somersaults in the air.

"Show off!" Steve shouted as he smirked. "Can I get a little help, please?"

The man held his hand up in the air. War Machine dived downwards, pulling up just before hitting the water. The metal hand collided with Steve's as he was pulled out the water. The pair whizzed through the air together before both landing safely on the boat, next to a building that spanned the whole length of the ship.

The surrounding guards turned away from their conversations and faced the duo. At least a dozen men approached them and several more aimed sniper guns at them from afar. The pair of Avengers definitely couldn't take all of them down. They needed the whole team.

"Someone help me!" Sam shouted. He had faced the same problem as the other three Avengers but found no way to escape. He didn't have super-strength to break through the solid metal door. He didn't have a suit that he could recall and use to bust his way out. Without his wings, Sam was just a badass man with combat training. "Anyone?" He called out again.

Above, Natasha stopped crawling along. She paused and tilted her head, hearing the man's cries. As soon as she realised who it was, the woman set off again. The redhead crawled as fast as she could and tried to navigate through the series of ventilation shafts.

A few seconds later, as the water met Sam's chest and he began to float, a grate fell down from the ceiling. He looked upwards and immediately recognised his companion. Natasha reached down and offered him a hand. Gratefully, he held onto her, allowing him to be rescued from the rising pool of water.

"Where are others?" Sam asked as they shuffled onward.

"I've got no I-" The redhead suddenly stopped talking.

"What?!" The man exclaimed.

"Shh!" She sharply hushed, holding one finger off. Bouncing around the ventilation shafts, the sound of gunfire could be heard. Without a single word between them, the pair shuffled as fast as they could, attempting to locate the source of the noise.

As soon as the men started to fire, Steve dived to the side, behind a crate of weapons. If he had his shield, he would run out and take them all down. But god knows where the shield was! The last time he had it was in the car, on the way to the factory.

War Machine span around in a circle with his arms held outstretched, firing rapidly. The man chose to focus on rounds per minute over accuracy. The armed guards closed in on Rhodes, fighting through the bullets. They must've been wearing bulletproof vests – no-one could've survived otherwise. One of the men jumped onto Rhodes' back and attempted to tackle him to the floor. The suited-up man grabbed the man on his back and flipped him over. With a blood-curdling crack, the man landed on the floor in front of him.

"Rhodes!" Steve shouted. He stood across from the other man, holding the door to the building open. They both dived through the door but not before Steve grabbed a semi-auto machine gun.

Rhodes, still standing tall, offered Steve his hand and helped him up. The two observed their surroundings. They stood in the middle of a large room – theatre-sized. There was a stage at the front of the room and rows of chairs in front of it. It looked a briefing room; a place where military men and women would go to collect their medals.

Within seconds, the guards flooded the room. Men and women of all colours and sizes were aiming their guns in the pair's direction. Although, they didn't fire. The duo were confused. They had both just been told that they were 'useless' and were going to be 'discarded.'

"I'm not really impressed." An unfamiliar voice came from behind the duo. They both turned on the spot to reveal Dr. Winters standing on the stage. She was surrounded by henchmen.

A portion of Rhodes' suit moved away and his face could be seen. "So, we finally meet. Bit of a let-down, really. I expected you look a bit more… villainous." Following his statement, Lilith cackled.

"Tell us where the other Avengers are." Steve demanded.

The black-haired woman smiled. "Wanda and Miles are helping us with a little project. As for ginger and darkie number two, they're probably dead by now."

"Oh, bitch, you didn't not just say that." Rhodes cursed, closing his suit back up. He held up his arm and aimed the guns. The henchmen all flinched and stepped closer.

"Let them have it." Lilith ordered. All of a sudden, two grates from the ceiling collapsed. The henchmen were taken by surprise and had no time to fire.

Natasha flew down from the ceiling, flipping in mid-air. Before she touched the ground, the woman kicked two of the goons in the head. She wasted no time and begun to fight. The redhead deflected a punch that was thrown her way and slammed her knee into another man's stomach. The pistol flew out from the man's hand and she caught it. Natasha shot the gun four times, straight through the chests of four separate attackers.

Meanwhile, Sam was on the other side of the room. He had jumped from the air vents and landed on the stage. Lilith shrieked like a girl. He smirked. Although, the assailants surrounded the woman and their employer was soon out of sight. One of the more muscular men charged at Sam. The dark-skinned man jumped to the side and kicked the man's bottom. The attacker slammed into one of the walls with such a force that he knocked himself unconscious.

Rhodes had time to concentrate. He focused the guns on the legs and chests of the men. That was what he always did. He never wanted to kill – only force the men to retreat from the fight and leave them to be dealt with the police. War Machine fired rapidly. The hero took down several dozen villains within the minute.

"Where'd she go?" Steve swivelled on the spot, referring to Dr. Winters. He caught a glimpse of the woman being escorted out of a door at the back of the stage. The superhero jumped over the first few rows of chairs before deciding to just run through them. Crashing through was definitely quicker than jumping over or running around. Steve reached the door just as it was shutting.

"Where the hell are Wanda and Miles?!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, smashing a fist on the door. It was made of reinforced metal. There was no way that he'd be able to smash through.

Across the room, Natasha was disposing of the last of the attackers. The redhead ran over to one of the walls, jumped up and it span around in the air. She brought her foot round and slammed it against the temples of two of the assailants. An Asian woman was the only one left. She narrowed her eyes at Natasha. Suddenly, the woman grabbed her side and fell to the floor. Steve appeared from behind, holding a recently-fired gun. He had an angry look on his face. The two other men ran over.

"What are we gonna do?" Sam asked the group.

Steve was stumped. "Well, what do we know so far?"

"They sound like they're running tests on Wanda and Miles." Rhodes suggested, removing his facemask. "It makes sense, doesn't it? They're the only ones with powers that are… I don't know. In their DNA, I suppose."

"What about you, Steve?" Sam continued. "Why aren't they testing on you?"

"They must've done their research." Steve guessed. "There's no way to replicate what happened to me."

"Help me."

All of a sudden, the groups' face turned to confused expressions. They all looked around the room. Who had said that? It certainly wasn't any of them.

"Help me."

There it was. The voice had spoken again. It was cleared that time. It was recognisable – Miles. The sensation was extremely strange. His voice wasn't coming from inside the room. Instead, it was coming from inside their heads.

"Follow your gut." Miles whispered to the four. "Find us."

Elsewhere on the ship, Wanda and Miles lay on surgery-like tables. They were both strapped down with fabric restraints but had each managed to free one hand. They were both hooked up to machines that were just out of sight, through wired headbands that had been placed onto them while unconscious. On one wall, there was a one-way mirror. Wanda could feel the people watching them.

Using their freed limb, the special pair held hands between the tables. They had luckily been positioned so that the observers couldn't see this gesture. Wanda was using her telekinesis power to communicate with the other Avengers through Miles. The teenager's eyes had rolled into the back of his head as he spoke directly into the minds of his friends.

"Find us." Miles whispered. "Find us."


	8. Chapter 8 - Tomorrow Pt 2

Steve, Rhodes, Natasha and Sam all took the same exit out of the theatre room. There was no discussion or disagreement in which way to go. Miles was right. They all had the same feeling, like they were being drawn to certain doors and pathways.

Eventually, the voice in their minds led the four to the lowest level of the submarine. A spiral staircases descended into one of only three rooms. The group stood in a foyer area. Two lavish, maroon sofas had been positioned around a coffee table. On top of the coffee table were two folders. To one side was a small kitchenette – a few cupboards, a water cooler and a microwave.

Sam walked over to one of the files and flicked the first page open. The first thing he noticed was a picture of Wanda. She was standing in the middle of a crowd, wearing a leather jacket over the top of a red summer dress. Her brown hair had been covered with a large sun hat. He instantly recognised when it had been taken: in the mall, less than an hour before the sushi restaurant disaster. "Name: Wanda Maximoff. Origin: Sokovia. Powers: Telekinesis, Energy Shields, Energy Blasts, Telepathy, Mental Manipulation." He read aloud.

"What?" Natasha called, walking over to him and opening the other file. "Name: Miles, surname unknown. Origin: Unknown. Powers: Water Manipulation, possibly more."

"Here they are!" Steve exclaimed. He was peering through a small circular peephole into one of the rooms. The blond quickly turned the wheel and ran into the room. Steve ran straight to Miles and Natasha went over to Wanda.

The pair stopped holding hands and Wanda flew upwards to a sitting position. She inhaled deeply and, with wild eyes, looked at Natasha. Although, Miles' eyes fluttered open slowly and met Steve's brown irises.

"You found us." The young man whispered.

"Yeah, I did." Steve sweetly smiled. He worked to peel away all the strange stickers which were attached to wires and placed on Miles' skin.

"What happened to you two?" Natasha asked Wanda.

"We both woke up, but they took us back to sleep after they took _samples_ from us." Wanda explained. "They took everything – even ridiculous things. They took nail clippings, swabs of saliva and skin samples, too." She moved her hair to one side and let Natasha see the back of her neck. A section of skin looked red and raw, as if the top the layer had been peeled off.

Rhodes walked over to the one-way mirror and smashed his fist against it. The force of the War Machine armor caused the mirror to shatter, opening up a gateway to the viewing room. "Sam, get over here."

Sam jogged across the room and hopped through the mirror. He stood in a small surveillance room. There was several monitors showing a live feed from the room beside them – tons of cameras from multiple angles. His modified wings laid to the side, as well as Steve's shield.

"They took all of the data." Miles revealed, sitting up as Steve pried the stickers from his skin. "We can't let them get away."

"How do we know that they haven't already left the ship?" Natasha replied, helping Wanda to her feet.

The brunette held two fingers to her left temple and her eyes turned red for a second. "The scientists haven't left yet. I can't locate them but they're still somewhere on the ship." She announced.

"You're gonna have to fight." Steve told Miles, looking the young man in the eyes. "Are you sure you can do that?"

"I'll be fine." The younger man insisted.

"Then let's go!" Rhodes shouted, leading the group back upstairs and onto the upper deck.

As soon as they left the building, the group all skidded to a halt. To the left and to the right, were Dr. Winter's guards. An array of different guns were aimed at them – pistols, machine guns, shotguns. A few feet in front of the group was the edge of the ship. A fifty foot drop loomed on the other side of the railing.

"Ready!" One of the older men shouted.

Wanda looked at Natasha, "I'm too weak. I can't create a force-field to shield us all."

"Just shield me." The redhead told her. She looked over to Miles and nodded. The young man knew what he had to do.

"Take aim!" The man continued.

Rhodes' suit lit up as the face panel slotted into place. Sam's wings sprung out of the backpack.

"Fire!"

The Avengers jumped to life. Wanda snapped her hands out to the side, shielding both her and Natasha. War Machine's rockets switched on and shot straight up into the air, a trail of bullets falling behind him. Sam dived overboard, eventually swooping back up into the air.

"Trust me." Miles told Steve. The younger man grabbed the blond's back and pulled him to the side of the ship. Somewhat worried, they both jumped over the edge and plummeted towards the ocean.

Miles held his hands out and large quantities of water began to rise from the sea. They circled the two men. Steve's heartbeat rose as water swarmed around his body, leaving only his head dry. He started to panic.

"Just relax!" Miles shouted.

A few seconds later, Steve realised that he was no longer falling but rising instead. The younger man lifted both himself and Steve back onto the side of the ship. Sighing, Steve felt a moment of relief when his two feet landed on the ship's surface again. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees.

One of the gunmen charged towards the pair, screaming at the top of his lungs. Miles moved his arm in a diagonal motion. The water rose from the cold, metal floor and swept the attacker away – a huge wave crashing into his body and sending him flying.

Meanwhile, Sam was rapidly decreasing his height. He landed on top of an attacker and, with one punch to the jaw, the man was out cold. The dark-skinned man jumped back to his feet and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with two men at once. He quickly kicked the first man in the groin before elbowing the other man across his jaw. Only one more punch was needed before the latter was out for the count. Finding himself overwhelmed from all angles, Sam retreated to the sky.

He soon flew next to War Machine. Rhodes fired rockets from each of his cannons, taking down multiple attackers with each hit.

"Wooo! Fifty points!" Sam exclaimed.

Down on the boat, Natasha and Wanda stood helpless inside the bubble. The bullets from Natasha's gun couldn't leave the shield. She couldn't leave either. It would be suicide – even for the infamous Black Widow.

Suddenly, Wanda noticed something in the corner of her eye. Red laser beams shot down from the sky, tearing through the middle of the ship. The deck jolted and the brunette lost her focus, causing the force-field to fall down.

Vision soared through the sky, red beams of light shooting from the gem on his forehead. The beams of light teared through the ship and destroyed most of the ship's main buildings. The figure then flew down towards the ship.

"Vision?!" Steve shouted, sprinting over to him. "You'll kill us all!"

"Fury's orders." The red man told him.

"Look, we don't have much time." Natasha joined the duo. "We need to find whatever research they have and destroy it." The redhead ears perked up. She quickly turned around and sent a bullet through an attacker's stomach.

"Where's Miles?" Steve asked.

A few metres away, Miles hid behind a large crate. He held a hand over his ribcage as blood spurted out between his fingers. Losing strength, Miles' head dropped to the right. Peculiarly, his eyes lit up. The crates were full of explosives. Not timed explosives but several dozen grenades and other bomb-like weapons.

Vision flew away from Steve and over to Wanda, who was struggling to fight off the gunmen. He scooped her up in his arms and brought her back to the others.

"Find Miles." Steve instructed as he slammed his shield into one of the goon's head.

As the others battled the attackers around her, Wanda attempted to locate Miles. She raised two fingers two her left temple and her eyes turned red. After a few seconds, the woman turned around and pointed in a certain direction. "There!" She shouted.

Steve pivoted on the spot. Through the crowd, he could see Falcon doing his best to take down the attackers. Behind that, Miles ran away from the fight. Steve immediately began to sprint. He held his shield out in front of him, knocking anyone and everyone out of his way.

"Miles!" Steve shouted. Miles didn't reply. He continued to limp forwards, leaving a trail of blood behind him. "Miles!" He repeated, grabbing the younger man's shoulder and turning him around. Steve's mouth dropped into an O shape as he saw Miles clutching two large bombs to his chest. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm doing what needs to be done, Steve!" Miles told him, a tear falling down his cheek. The world seemed to slow down around the pair.

"No, no, no." The blond repeated.

"Someone needs to destroy the research! This is the only way to do it!" He screamed.

"You don't even know where the research is!" Steve shouted. Behind the man, War Machine took down an attacker that was inches away from him.

"Yes, I do." Miles admitted. "I was conscious when they tested on us below deck. I heard what they were saying – there's a chamber below sea level. They're going to take the research out by submarine. These bombs don't have timers, Steve. I have to go down there and set them off."

"You can't… You can't do this to me!" A tear fell down Steve's cheek. He'd never cried – not since he was a baby. He quickly wiped a tear from his cheek, trying to cover up the expression of his emotions.

"Someone has to destroy the research. They were testing on us, extracting our _**powers**_! We can't have them being weaponised and normal people being turned into powerful beings!"

"You can't come into my life, make me care about you and then leave! That's not how it works, Miles!" The blond shouted in the younger man's face.

"I'm sorry. Okay, Steve? Is that what you want to hear?" Miles questioned. "This world isn't for me! I've been locked away for years… I can't socialise properly, I don't have any family, I don't have a home!"

"We are your family! _I_ am your home!" Steve shouted at the top of his lungs. He grabbed the back of Miles' head and pushed their lips together. The younger man jumped in shock before melting into the kiss. Steve brushed his fingers through Miles' brown hair. Miles' palm rested on the other man's left cheek. After a few seconds, they pulled apart and rested their foreheads together.

"Just do what you have to do, M." Steve whispered. "If you change your mind, I'll be here."

Without a second for Miles to reply, the blond man turned around and ran into the crowd of attackers. A mixture of adrenaline and anger flooded his body. He span on the spot and slammed the shield into two men. Pivoting to the right, he landed a punch and knocked someone else unconscious.

Miles took a deep breath. His eyes swelled up and filled with tears. He sniffed and turned around, running along the ship. The pain in his ribs was virtually non-existence, despite what seemed to be an ever-flowing stream of blood. Miles felt nothing. He was numb.

The young man turned to the left and re-entered the ship. The floor jolted to the left, almost sending him toppling over. Vision was tearing the ship apart with his laser beam. He had to get to the submarine before Dr. Winters left with the research.

Above deck, Natasha ran over to Vision and Wanda. "Vision, you need to call the Helicarrier in. This ship is falling apart; we need to leave."

Wanda span on the spot and quickly sent an energy blast across the ship's floor. Two men toppled to the ground. The brunette conducted a head count. There was six of them. Where was Miles? She closed her eyes and attempted to find him.

"Get out of my head, Wanda!" A scream echoed throughout her brain.

The three of them toppled to the floor as parts of the destroyed ship broke away. The boat was sinking – fast. They needed to get out of there.

Miles stumbled down the stairwell. The boat was flooding. By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, the water was halfway up his shin. He didn't care. In fact, the water would work to his advantage.

The young man burst through the door at the end of the stairwell. He entered a large room full of special agents. A black submarine was partially submerged in water as agents loaded strange vials on board. Miles stood still, unsure of what to do. He couldn't start the bomb now, the Avengers wouldn't have evacuated yet.

"Watch out!" One of the agents shouted, recognising Miles. The man pulled a pistol out from his it's holder.

"Wait!" A woman's voice called. Across the room, a figured turn on the spot: Dr. Lilith Winters. "It's nice to finally meet you in person, Miles."

"I can't say the same about you." The young man sarcastically smiled. "I did think you'd be better looking… And male."

"I'm gonna shoot him!" One of the guards announced. Without taking his eyes away from Lilith, Miles passed both bombs to one hand and put his powers to use. He gathered the pools of water and sent them flying against the guard. The force slammed him against the metal wall, rendering him unconscious.

"You're more powerful than I thought." Dr. Winters told him, standing still.

"Thank you. I'll take that as a compliment." Miles smiled, stepping forwards. The rest of the attackers jerked slightly, all raising their guns.

"You lot are all too hasty." Lilith scolded her troops. "He's got a bomb! Everyone in this room is dead!"

"You've got that right." The young man said.

"Oh, did I say 'everyone?' I mean, everyone except me." Lilith said. Her body flickered… It flickered and then faded away...

A hologram, Miles realised! He felt frustrated. The idea of taking down Lilith as well as the research was extremely satisfying. But, his death still wouldn't be in vain. The research still had to be destroyed!

High above, War Machine soared through the sky. Rockets flew down from his outfit, taking down the last of the gunmen. He could see the ship slowly sinking into the ocean, with the rest of the Avengers still on board. A final group of men marched along the end of the ship, all surrounding a single figure. A few feet away from them, a helicopter began to land on the ship.

Whoever they were, they weren't good and Rhodes definitely were not letting them get away. He fired a rocket from his cannon. It shot through the air and, within a minute, landed on the tail of the helicopter. It exploded, sending the helicopter flipping overboard and crashing into the water.

"Natasha!" Rhodes shouted, decreasing his altitude.

"I see them!" The redhead shouted back, running across the ship. Natasha sprinted forwards and jumped onto the ship's railing. She leaped off after a few seconds, landing on the back of one of the last few gunmen.

Sam swooped down and grabbed one of the figure's protectors, throwing him over the side of the ship. An energy blast flew through the air as Wanda took down another two men. Vision hovered over and fought with one of the men. The red-skinned man sent a punch flying into his stomach. The sheer power of it sent the man flying towards the back end of the ship.

As Steve made easy work of the final man, they realised who the figure was. Dr. Lilith Winters, of course. Who else would it be?

Natasha jumped forwards first, attempting to land a punch on the woman's jaw. Lilith reacted quickly and grabbed her fist. She twisted the redhead's arm and sent her down to the floor. Anger filling his veins, Steve ran towards Lilith. With as much strength as he could, he slammed his shield into her body. She fell to the floor, grunting loudly. The Avengers surrounded her as the helicarrier became visible behind them.

Steve stepped forwards and turned Lilith over. Except from a few bruises, she looked unscathed. He straddled her body and sent his fist crashing against her face. Blood burst out from her nose.

"Stop," Wanda touched Steve's shoulder. He scoffed loudly before standing up and moving away.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. The ship jolted to the left and the group stumbled. Steve's heart felt like it had been ripped out of his chest. Miles had done it… The research had been destroyed at a very large cost…

The helicarrier lowered to levitate just above the water. The cargo bay doors had been opened; the platform just reaching the edge of the ship. Steve grabbed the back of Lilith's shirt and threw her into the ship. With a loud crack, the woman landed on the hard floor.

Vision held his arm around Wanda's shoulders, assisting her in climbing aboard. Rhodes and Sam both flew over to the ship and landed safely inside. Two of Fury's agents walked over to Lilith and pulled her to her feet. They handcuffed her wrists before dragging her away.

"Steve, come on." Natasha called from the cargo bay. The blond walked slowly, hopping over the railing just before a wave of water flew over the ship.

"Miles?" Maria Hill appeared on deck, talking to Sam.

"No," the dark-skinned man shook his head and retreated into the main ship.

Steve stood at the edge of the cargo bay doors. He watched the ship's wreckage slowly sink as they flew away. There wasn't a word for what he was feeling. He'd only ever experienced it once before – the winter of 1945; Bucky.

But this time, there would be no revival. Miles was dead… and there was nothing he could do about it.

There was no funeral for Miles; only a small service carried out beside his grave. His body was never recovered so there was no coffin to gather around. It was raining hard on that Tuesday afternoon, Steve liked the weather, though. It made him think that Miles was still with them… As if he would be making it rain as some sort of sign.

There were not many attendees of the service. The Avengers were there – even Vision, who usually didn't participate in human ceremonies – Maria Hill and just one other woman. Nick Fury simply watched from the trees, out of sight. A priest stood at the end of Miles' gravestone. It was engrave 'Miles Tanner. 1996 – 2015. Friend, Survivor, Hero. Although his time with us was little, his impact was colossal."

"-earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life." The priest finished the ceremony. He closed the bible and bowed his head, leaving the group to grieve in silence.

Vision and Wanda moved away first. They whispered while walking back to the car. Sam followed soon after, undoing his tie. Wanda and Natasha move away too, leaving Steve alone with the strange woman. He looked down at the gravestone – a blank expression on his face.

The stranger approached him slowly. She had wrapped a rugged, old black scarf around her shoulders and wore a dirty old blazer underneath. The woman looked as though she was around fifty.

"Thank you." She whispered. "You gave my son more happiness than I ever could have."

Steve didn't reply. He didn't even look at her.

"Mr. America." The woman took another step forwards. She lifted her hand up and pressed it against his cheek. Immediately, Steve jerked his head away and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't forget that you're only here because you're his legal guardian." He scoffed. "Although, we both know… that role was filled by me."

The blond turned around and walked away. Miles' mother fell to her knees and began to sob. "I'm so sorry…" She repeated. "I'm so sorry."

Still hidden the trees, Nick Fury looked at the woman. He sighed and looked down to the floor. The man couldn't help but feel responsible for Miles' death. After a few minutes of staring, Fury turned around and disappeared into the trees…

 **This is not the end…**

 **Time is short and water is rising. The rain shall fall and those trapped will escape. Memories are fading and life is dwindling. His existence is doubtful, but maybe he just hasn't lived yet.**


	9. Chapter 9 - Old Secrets

A bushy forest lined the ocean's shore. Golden sand moved back as the sea pushed it further away. Every day, the sea drifted in and out. The same pattern, Monday through Sunday, all year round. Until one day…

The ocean's water covered the sand and retreated back into the sea – but not all of it. Some of the liquid remained on the sand. Held in suspension, the water did not move. For a while, it remained still. As the waves repeated, more and more water stayed on the shore. The water was forming a shape – a body. Arms, legs and a head could easily be pointed out.

Suddenly, the water popped. The fluid particles joined together and exploded outwards, leaving a body on the shore. It was a completely naked young man. He had short brown hair. Bruises and cuts covered his skin. It was… Miles.

Miles eyes snapped open and he shot up to a sitting position. He coughed and spluttered, ejecting huge amounts of water from his mouth. He breathed heavily as the rest of the water dribbled from his lower lip.

The young man looked to his left and then right, unsure of his surroundings. Miles ran his hands over his body. He didn't believe what he was feeling. Lifting up his blood-stained shirt, he ran a hand across a smooth patch of skin – the area that the bullet penetrated. There was no wound.

Miles had played a game with death and won. He just needed to get home. Home, New York. He needed to get back to Steve.

In the New York base, the Avengers, Maria Hill and Fury all stood at the front of the main hall. On the large projector screen, a news report played.

"A representative of the Avengers team has confirmed that the newest addition to their team has died in battle. The nameless boy was first seen whilst the team battled the remnants of Ultron's Sentries at the edge of New York City. He then reappeared when the Avengers were forced to flee a sushi restaurant, after being falsely accused of attacking civilians." A female reported recalled the events. "Although no footage is available, he also participated in a battle on a ship against an unknown enemy, just off the shores of Jamaica. It is though that he perished while saying his fellow teammates."

"In coherence with the rest of the group's superhero names, fans have dubbed the deceased newcomer 'Whirlpool,' a homage to his water-manipulating powers." The woman's male co-host continued. "Fans have flocked to social media to show their support for the Avengers in this hard time. #SwimForWhirlpool trended for thirteen hours on twitter yesterday. We'll have more on this topic as it comes."

"Next up, can Tony Stark really be trusted to manufac-" Nick Fury cut the presenter short by turning off the television. The Avengers turned to look at him.

"Now, I know we're all mourning but we can move past this. The best way to do so is to concentrate on another assignment." Nick began. "I am beginning the search for James Barnes-"

"Come on, man." Sam shook his head, interrupting. He walked over to Fury and took him aside. "It's been ten days. Don't make Steve remember somebody else that he's lost."

"We can't mourn forever. What's done is done." Fury told him. "I've done all I could: sped up Lilith's trial so she'll be sentenced tomorrow… I can't do much more."

"You can wait." Sam said, before turning away.

"Forget that. Team dismissed." Fury announced.

As the Avengers walked away, Maria watched Fury. Ever since Miles's presence was known, he had been acting strangely… and she realised it. There was something not right. Maria was determined to find out what was going on.

Maria Hill strutted down the corridors of the base. She kept her head down in an attempt to blend in and be forgotten about. Her eyes bounced around the corridor as she walked, doing her best to stay out of sight.

Quickly, she sidestepped into one of the room and slammed the large metal door behind her. The room was massive yet most of the space was taken up with large servers. Wires connected the machines to each other. After ducking and stepping over countless wires, Maria made it to a desk in the middle of the room.

"Draw up the personal file of Lilith Winters." She spoke, cutting through the never ending sound of machinery humming. The desk sprung to life. Blue holograms crawled across the surface.

After a few seconds a voice could be heard: "File Deleted."

"Check again." Maria demanded, frowning.

"Initial search was conclusive. The file no longer exists in the database."

"Okay…" She sighed. "Let's try this. Show me all of the files which contain the phrases 'Lilith Winters.'"

Within seconds, a holographic picture appeared in front of Agent Hill's face. It looked as if it had been pulled straight out from a computer screen and placed in mid-air. It looked like some sort of party. There were several dozen shield agents in the picture. However, Hill immediately spotted Nick in the background of the picture. He had his arm around a dark-haired women's shoulders. The two looked as though they were chatting to someone who had their back to the camera.

Maria flicked her hand in front of the picture. The hologram rotated and exposed the back of the image. What looked like black marker pen had been used to write the names of everyone in the picture, headed by: "Jill and Anna's Wedding Reception." The woman moved her hands in a diagonal motioned and the picture enlarged. Maria was right. In the background, it was Lilith, standing right next to Fury…

Three days passed until Miles managed to find an airport. It had turned out that he was in Egypt. With most of the country only speaking Arabic, getting directions to the airport was extremely hard. He had survived on the streets. His new water powers had come in handy. In order to get food, Miles would liquefy himself and flow into the kitchen of a restaurant. Then, he would reform and quickly scoff down a meal, before leaving in the same way that he entered.

He sprinted into the departures area of the airport and, without hesitation, sprinted over to the closest service desk.

"Good after-" The woman on the desk began.

"When's the next flight to John F. Kennedy International in New York?" Miles didn't even give her a chance to answer.

The woman quickly searched the computer, slightly taken back by his abruptness. "The next available flight is Tuesday morning."

"Sorry. What day is it?" He shook his head as he asked, feeling stupid for not even knowing the day.

"Sir…" The stewardess began, frowning. "It's Friday."

"The next available flight is in four days! That's too far away!" Miles exclaimed.

"Well, I do apologise but there are not seats available for today's departure." She told him.

"Look, you must know who I am! I've been on the news! I was part of the Avengers. They rescued me from the S.H.I.E.L.D. base and brought me back to civilization. _Please_ …" He was beginning to beg the woman. "I need to get back to the base in New York. Steve needs me… They think I'm dead… Just, please! Google my name. Type in 'Miles' and I'll be there."

"Sir, you need to calm down." The woman rose from her seat and held her hands up.

"Wait… Earlier… You said that there were no seats left for _today_ 's departure." Miles remembered. "Where's the plane that's going to New York?"

"If you must know, it's at docking station thirty-two." She revealed. "But there aren't any seats left. There's nothing you can do."

"I've got superpowers." He smiled, a sense of hope falling over him. "I can do whatever I want."

The stewardess watches as the features on Miles's face began to turn translucent. Within seconds, water had replaced his body. His features held shape but the skin, bones, everything had been replaced with water. The people around the desk grabbed their mobile phones and began to record him. Suddenly, the water dropped to the floor and formed a small puddle, leaving only his clothes behind. The puddle moved across the departures lounge in an unusual fashion, as if it was being blown by a fan.

Miles – in liquid form – flowed outside, through one of the open windows, and crosses the runway. Eventually reaching the thirty-second docking stations, the pool of water slid up the side of the plane, disappearing into one of its crevices.

The young man panted heavily as he reformed – nude - in one of the plane's bathrooms, the pool of water taking a human shape once again. "Still not used to that."

With a twelve-hour flight ahead of him, Miles slumped onto the toilet seat. He sat with his head in his hands and sighed. His mind turned to Penny. She was the only other orphan that was rescued from the corrupt S.H.I.E.L.D. base. All of the other children had been reunited with their families. The girl was the closest thing that Miles had to a family and she had joined him in living at the Avengers' New York base. Still, the little girl was a mystery. Everyone in the base was being tested on because they had powers, but Penny had never revealed what she could do. What made that little girl so special?

Miles decided that worrying wasn't the best thing to do. He wouldn't be getting the answers to the questions anytime soon. Leaning to the side, he rested his head on the wall. He may have died a few days ago but that doesn't mean he wasn't tired. Miles just hoped that no-one would try and use the bathroom during the flight.

Wanda stood in the elevator at the Avengers Base in New York. She held an iPad in one hand and nervously tapped her nails on the screen. The brunette gulped as the doors opened.

Steve was directly in front of her, slamming fist after fist into the suspended punching bag. With the exception of meetings and grabbing food, he hadn't moved from the basement – not since Miles's death. In the first two days, different members of the team would come down and check on him. Although, there was no point in checking on him anymore. The man was always training and would never speak a word.

"Steve…" Wanda called, stepping out from the elevator. Her voice shook as she spoke. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "Steve, I need to speak to you."

The man remained in his trance, landing punches into each side of the bag.

"We think Miles has been spotted." She disclosed, looking down at the iPad. On the screen was a recording that had been taking at an airport. The clip was only six seconds long and was extremely blurry. It was taken from behind an airport counter. Not much could be made out – except from a strange liquid that was held in suspension.

Steve stopped punching and exhaled through his nose. He stepped forwards and steadied the bag, stopping it from swinging. "No…" He muttered. "Miles is dead."

"He might not be." Wanda told the man. "All we saw was an explosion. He might have escaped."

"There were no bodies." Steve spoke quietly, murmuring. "We had teams searching the waters in a one hundred-mile radius… The news cameras caught nothing…"

"Can't you at least watch the footage?" Instead of responding, he went back to punching the bag. It was his non-verbal way or saying 'no.' "So this is what you're like."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Steve snapped, voice jerking as his hands swung.

"Natasha said you closed up and shut yourself off – after you found Bucky again." She muttered. "You can't be like this. What if something comes up? We're all strong but, without a leader, the team will crumble."

"Just leave!" Steve shouted. The outburst was unexpected, causing Wanda to jump back. His face turned a bright red as he began to increase the speed of his punches. The man slammed his fists with full force, veins beginning to pop out of his arms and forehead.

Wanda grabbed the iPad and left, not turning around once to look at Steve.

The stars shone bright above the Avengers base. In the midst of night, only a few of lights were kept switched on. A lone security guard circled the outside of the premises. The trees whistled in the dark as the bitter wind passed through them.

Miles emerged from the trees, crouching down behind one of the boulders at the end of the road. He could just walk up to the building and reveal that he was still alive. Although, he didn't want to do that. It was a mixture of nerves and doubt that stopped him from doing so. Would the Avengers even feel sad after his death? He had only been with them for a mere few weeks, after all. Was his kiss with Steve all a mistake? Had Miles misread the signs? He needed more time to think, but he couldn't stay away… He was drawn to the base…

The young man scuttled out from behind the large rock and swiftly crossed the grassy plain. Waiting until the guard was facing the other way, Miles ran to the building's wall and placed his back against it.

"Miles, you're back!" An innocent voice cut the eerie silence. He immediately placed a face to the voice.

Miles snapped his head to the right and, as he guessed, Penny stood in the tall grass. The auburn-haired girl clutched her teddy bear in one hand and wore a long nightdress. Miles crouched down and she ran into his arms for a hug. A tear escaped the man's eyes.

Penny pulled away and placed a hand on either side of Miles's face. "You died, though. They didn't tell me but I figured it out."

"You figured it out? How?" He smiled, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket.

"I'm just good at knowing things." She shrugged. "Captain America reaaaaally misses you. He thinks about you loads."

"Penny…" Miles began, a concerned tone in his voice. "How do you know what he's thinking?"

"I can go inside people's heads. Sometimes, I make them see things and hear things that aren't really there. Sometimes, I can hear their thoughts." Penny nonchalantly revealed. "It's like… I hear what people want to say, even if they don't actually say it. I can do other stuff, too."

"You can read minds?" He doubted her, despite the evidence to suggest she was telling the truth. "Okay… What number am I thinking of?"

Penny crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "You're not thinking of a number. Your thinking of Steve - your boyfriend."

"He is _**not**_ my boyfriend!" Miles exclaimed. "Well, at least I know you're telling the truth."

"Everyone misses you, M." The young girl told him. "Please – tell everyone that you're still alive…"

Inside the base, one of the high-ranking guards sat at the security desk. He leant backwards in his chair, feet propped up on the desktop. His head dropped as the long working hours caught up to him. Abruptly, a loud beeping sound snapped the guard back awake. The man immediately grabbed his walkie-talkie.

"I'm picking up a heat signature on the east of the building – outside. Get our men on it right now!" He barked the orders.

"They're coming!" Penny squealed, pointing past the crouched Miles's shoulder. He span round on the spot, mud squelching under his trainers.

At least a dozen men sprinted towards the two. They were dressed in all black and held machine guns with torches attached to the end. Miles turned back to Penny, about to tell her to run… But she was already gone.

"Miles." She whispered. He looked up, looking for the source of the voice. On the fourth floor of the building, Penny stood on her tip-toes and peered out of the bedroom window. She was never actually outside at all… It was just an illusion she planted in Miles's head, so she could talk to him.

"Do not move!" One of the men shouted. He had a gruff, scary voice that sent a chill down Miles's spine. Although, within seconds, he was gone – liquefied.

The sprinting men suddenly decreased their speed, skidding through the mud. In front of their eyes, Miles had disappeared. One of the men bent over and picked up a screwed up shirt. Across from him, a dirty pair of trousers and shoes laid.

Of course, the young man couldn't just leave. The difference between what his heart wanted and what his mind wanted was further than it had ever been.

For one of the first times since Miles's 'death,' Steve slept peacefully. He snored, lying on the right side of his double bed. A stream of water trickled out of the ceiling vent. In mid-air, it began to solidify and morph into the shape of a body. Miles landed on his tip-toes, making as little noise as possible.

He span to face Steve; his heart sinking in his chest. With the window cracked open, Steve's blond locks fluttered in the late evening breeze. A tear escape from Miles's eye and fell from his cheek. He held his hand out and caught the tear. It melted into his skin.

Gingerly, the young man reached forwards. Miles ran his hand through Steve's hair, pushing it out of his face. He so desperately wanted to wake Steve up and kiss those perfect lips… He just couldn't… For over a decade, Miles had been kept prisoner and it was all Dr. Winters's fault. He wouldn't call it revenge, but deep down he knew that's what it was. Cold-blooded revenge.

It had to be planned. Lilith was in custody, godknowswhere, probably awaiting trial. There was no way that Miles could find her. She had to be taken to him…

All of a sudden, Steve shot to a seating position. His face had a dozen beads of sweat yet he was still shivering. "Miles?!" He screamed.

The room was empty. Only Steve remained. To his left, the room's sink made a gargling sound as water trickled into the drains.


	10. Chapter 10 - A Disappointing Reunion

_**Three Months Later**_

 _ **Manhattan, New York City**_

 _ **07:00**_

The streets were alive with the usual early morning hustle and bustle of the city. Workers scuttled from their office building to the local fast food restaurants; earphones in and ignoring the rest of the world. Roads were clogged with the usual lunchtime traffic. Angry cab drivers swore at the non-moving traffic. Other drivers slammed their car horns in frustration. It was a city full of anger and isolation, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Citizens of Manhattan." A booming voice called out across the street. The voice was deep and almost robotic, as if it was being manipulated. Confused passengers removed their earphones and frowned, looking for the source of the speech. The inhuman voice seemed to be coming from nowhere.

Suddenly, from the middle of the street, a figure began to rise into the air. The figure was dressed in a full body catsuit-like outfit. A helmet – reminiscent of a motorcycle helmet with the glass stained black – concealed the man's identity. He stood atop a liquid platform which swirled beneath his feet, forever moving yet still pushing the man upwards.

Once the man was around three storeys high, the chilling voice sounded once again…

"The person that I desire is Lilith Winters. If she is brought to me within fifteen minutes, not one person will be harmed. If not, there will be chaos." The figure threatened. "Do not disappoint me."

And, there was silence. The cars stopped sounding their horns, the music had been muted. People watched the figure – simply out of curiosity – as it did… nothing. The man just hung in mid-air, water swirling around his feet. After a few seconds, the panic set in. People below began to scuttle away, although they were not running: for they had fifteen minutes to reach a safe distance…

"Wanda!" Maria called out, entering Wanda's room at the Avengers base. With the sound of her voice, the lights flickered on and the curtains opened themselves. "We have a situation."

Wanda slowly rolled over in her bed. She sat up, squinting and rubbing her left eye with the palm of her hand. "What's going on?" She asked – her voice dry and raspy. "Why isn't the alarm sounding?"

"Fury's orders. We think Miles is back and he doesn't want to alert Steve." Maria revealed.

"That's stupid," the psychic woman groaned.

"Well, you were the ones who voted him to be your supervisor." Maria replied, turning around and beginning to walk away. "You have five minutes to get downstairs." She called from the hallway.

Less than ten minutes later, Wanda, Natasha, Sam, Rhodes and Vision all sat in the back of a truck – fully suited up. No-one said a word. Sam held a small device and sat silently, watching the news footage of Miles's attack. Rhodes shook his head in disbelief and sighed before speaking.

"And to think we were gonna let him join the team." The man broke the silence.

"Based on similar cases in history, there was a high probability of Miles becoming what is deemed to be 'villainous' and wanting to enact revenge on Lilith Winters." Vision monotonously explained.

"Statistics don't mean anything." Natasha told him, grabbing onto the handlebar as the jolted upwards. "We just need to assess the situation and see if he can be brought back."

"Steve would've been able to bring him back. Or calm him down so we can talk, at least." Sam chimed in, not once moving his eyes away from the screen.

"You're right." Wanda agreed, running a hand through her hair. "He's gonna kill us when he finds out."

"We capture Miles and we bring him back to the base. Steve doesn't-"

"Time. Is. Over." The booming, ghastly voice penetrated the walls of the truck.

All of a sudden, the truck flipped on its siding. Banging, crashing and sending the team crashing down against each other. The twenty minutes was up. And Miles's rampage was just beginning.

From his liquid platform in mid-air, Miles raised both of his hands. Two fire hydrants burst open and starting shooting water up into the air. Instead of falling back to the ground like usual, the water flew up into the air. The young man held his arms out horizontally, and the masses of water swirled around his wrists.

He quickly retracted his left arm and then threw it outwards. The accumulation of water slammed into the office building to his right. Dozens of the glass windows broke inwards, shattering glass onto the few employees who hadn't already fled the building.

On the ground, Natasha slammed her foot against the overturned truck's back doors. The metal swung open and she was the first to crawl out, unscathed except from a cut on her lower lip. Vision jumped to life and flew over the top of Natasha. He headed straight for Miles – arm extended to punch hard on impact.

Miles noticed the inhuman hero and sent a wave of water crashing down onto him. Vision didn't even slow down. Instead, he powered through the stream of water like it didn't even exist. When he was less than a few inches away from the felon, Miles conducted his disappearing trick once more. His body turned to liquid and dropped down to the pavement. But, this time, it was different. This time: his clothes turned to liquid too.

"What the hell?" Wanda exclaimed – the last one to climb out of the truck.

"That's not possible." Sam gasped as he placed on the iconic Falcon red glasses. "His clothes are turning to liquid, too. That's not happened before."

"We don't have time to gawk. Get out there and find him." Natasha ordered.

The Avengers team – minus Steve, of course – split up and each began to search the intersection in which Miles had been making his demands. A seemingly endless amount of water gushed through the streets of New York. There was no way or knowing where Miles would appear next.

Rhodes stood to the side of the intersection, peering through the shattered window of a café. The face plate of the War Machine armor had been risen for a better view of the interior. The wooden floorboards and any piece of furniture touching them was ruined. He shook his head in disbelief. Out of the corner of his eye, something moved. Rhodes looked to the left at a piece of glass that still remained in the window frame. Behind him, Miles stood, water droplets covering nearly every piece of his skin.

Without hesitation, Rhodes pivoted on one foot and span around. He quickly fired a rocket out from the suit's right arm. It cracked Miles's helmet as it landed directly on his face. Miles did nothing but smile as he took the helmet off – Rhodes shooting another missile from his suit. His intersection – where the second missile should have landed – momentarily turned transparent and water-like. The rocket passed straight through him and hit a white van across the street. The van exploded and was immediately engulfed in flames, flipping over and landing upside down.

"You can stop this." Miles told Rhodes, the voice-changing software still somehow making his voice sound inhumanly deep. "Just bring me Dr. Winters."

"In your dreams." Rhodes spat, face plate of the armor falling into place.

"So be it." The younger man shrugged. Before Rhodes could even raise his hand to punch, water began to leak into the suit. It started at his ankles and rose all the way up his body. Within seconds, water was in ever crack and crevice of his suit.

With a devilish smile, Miles brought his hands together in front of him and then threw them out to the side. The water in Rhodes's suit flew outwards. Each piece of the War Machine cracked open before flying in opposite directions. Dripping wet, Rhodes stood with no suit to protect him but that did not scare him off. He quickly landed a punch hard against Miles's jaw.

The young man liquefied and reappeared to the right of Rhodes, kicking the back of his knee. He fell to the floor and Miles sent at least a litre of water crashing against the back of his head. Rhodes went limp and collapsed on the floor – not dead, but unconscious and out of the fight.

The next person to deal with was Falcon; Sam Wilson. Wings outstretched, he jumped over the edge of one of the tallest buildings in downtown New York. He swooped down with his body as streamlined as possible, building up speed.

This was too easy. Miles watched Falcon intently, making sure to time his move right. When Falcon was just above a burst fire hydrant, the young man sent a huge mass water crashing up into the air. The liquid slammed against Sam and pushed him in the opposite direction: upwards. Miles didn't want to… kill the Avengers. Just take them out of action so the city would be forced to give him Lilith. When he saw Sam plummeting back to the ground – thanks to gravity – Miles knew he had to save him. The young man sent him up into the air once again instead, this time, forcing Sam to land one of the city rooftops.

Sam landed, with a large shattering sound, on his back. He groaned loudly, pulling himself to his feet. Touching his earpiece, the man updated his team. "My pack's shattered. I'm stuck on this rooftop and out of action."

On the street below, Natasha heard the message but did not respond, engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Miles. With Natasha's intense training, the team would've thought she could take him down. However, every one of her kicks and punches were either dodged, or landed and went straight through Miles – the man liquefying himself for a short while each time.

After a few minutes, he grew tired of the fighting and pushed his hand against Agent Romanoff's chest. She flew across the road and crashed into a solid brick wall. Water began to flow up her body and swirled around her ankles and wrists, acting as a restraint. She was out of the battle.

Breathing heavily, Miles crouched down to rest for a moment. He tilted his head upwards and looked at the two remaining Avengers. Taking Wanda out of action would be easy, but Vision was definitely going to be difficult. Miles quickly liquefied, changing into a puddle of water and shooting across the street, reappearing a few inches away from Scarlet Witch.

"Step down, Wanda." He warned her. "You were always so nice to me. I don't want to hurt you." Miles was being completely sincere. Wanda had been the most sympathetic and accepting out of all the Avengers, minus Steve.

For a moment, Wanda's face dropped but soon turned into a frown. It was almost as if she had debated stepping down for a moment. But, no. This was her first major battle since Sokovia – her first major battle since joining the Avengers. She had to show the world what she was made of.

Wanda raised her arm and expelled her hand forwards, palm first. The glowing red energy flew out from her hand before smashing into Miles's face. He took a step backwards and rubbed his jaw. Another energy ball flew out from Wanda's other hand, hitting the young man's knee and knocking him to the ground.

Quickly, Miles used his power to raise himself back to his feet – water pushing against his back and lifting him up. What he said to Wanda earlier was still true; he didn't want to hurt her. So, instead, Miles crouched down to touch the few centimetres of water that was present on the pavement. He abruptly threw his hands up in the air.

Instantaneously, the liquid began to rush all around Wanda. It didn't touch her body, leaving a few inches for her to move. The water created a box-like shape around the woman and trapped her within a liquid prison. Wanda placed her hand forwards against one of the pseudo-walls. The water rushed extremely fast. There was no way she could escape.

Miles head jerked from side-to-side as he manipulated the water to raise him into the air. Vision was nowhere to be seen. By this time, the street was quiet. The general public had fled and no cars even attempted to drive up the road where the battle was taking place. The only sound was the quiet swoosh of rushing water. Vision was gone – mostly likely to retrieve back up.

"Hey!" A woman's voice called from down below, successful in getting Miles's attention. He span on the spot and looked down at her.

A woman stood confidently on the pavement below, glaring up at the troublemaker. She wore a blue fully-body suit, extremely similar to Miles's outfit, accessorised with black gloves. However, hers had a small symbol of the number four to the left of her chest. She had sandy blonde hair that blew in the breeze. Natasha watched from her place – pinned against the wall – with her mouth open in shock. It was Susan Storm… Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four. She was one of the four scientists that gained their powers after a freak accident involving cosmic energy at a private space station.

"You break into _our_ base, steal one of _our_ suits, and then use it to destroy part of the city." Susan spoke through gritted teeth. Vision flew down and landed next to her. Miles watched intently, eyes wide open. He hadn't planned to fight the Invisible Woman. "You're clever, but you're not powerful."

All of sudden, Sue's arm shot outwards. Psionic energy burst out from her chest. The wave of energy caught Miles off-guard. The energy felt like he had slammed into a brick wall. Miles toppled off his liquid platform and began to plummet to the ground. However, the water on the streets rushed over to the ground that Miles would crash into. The liquid created a rectangular shape – like a pool with no walls.

With a large splash, Miles landed in the pool. The pool water began to drift away a few seconds later, revealing the young man to be standing upright with a very annoyed look on his face. Infuriated, he began to sprint towards Susan.

"Vision! Now!" She shouted as Miles would barely an inch away from her. As she dived to the side, Susan turned invisible. Miles wasn't the only one who could disappear.

Turning around frantically, he eagerly looked around for his new enemy. He jumped backwards after spinning to the right, Vision face surprisingly being millimetres away from his face. Vision jumped forwards and sent his fist upwards with a lightning speed. The red fist collided with Miles's jaw and the sheer power sent him shooting up a dozen metres into the air.

On the ground, Susan reappeared. She held her hands diagonally upwards, creating a sphere of blue psionic energy all around Miles. He was suspended in the air – trapped in a bubble. Suddenly, all of the manipulated water lost its shape. Wanda stepped out of her prison as Natasha's restraints disappeared. Susan's powers seemed to have blocked the connection between Miles and the liquid.

The young man screamed in frustration, lashing out at the mysterious force-field. As tears began to flow from his eyes, he repeatedly punched and kicked the bubble surrounding him. "I could've killed you all!" He screeched. "Sucked the liquid from your bodies! But, I didn't! I don't want to hurt you!" His voice cracked at the end and his volume lowered. "Just Winters… J-just her…"

Wanda looked up at Miles and sighed. He had so much potential to do good but his past was too much. His horrific childhood had taken too much of a toll on him. Miles had never experienced any goodness up until six months ago, so why would he be kind to others?

"This is Romanoff." Natasha spoke into her earpiece. "We're gonna need transport as soon as possible. We have an 0-8-4."

Wanda, Rhodes, Sam, Vision and Susan all stood in the main hall of the Avengers HQ. Nick Fury and Maria Hill stood underneath a still-trapped Miles. He sat cross-legged in the psionic prison, cheek rested against his bawled-up fist.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer." Miles said under his breath.

Fury shook his head before leaving, "Miss Storm, we appreciate your assistance but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You don't have the clearance to discuss Miles's case."

"Case?!" Miles scoffed, ignored by those present.

"I don't have clearance?" Susan echoed. "What is this? S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"No, it's not." Maria answered. "But some of us still have secrets from our shield days."

"Do you have something to say, Agent Hill?" Fury asked.

"I have something to show you all. With Miles being trapped, this seems like the perfect opportunity." She revealed. Miles's ears perked up.

"Look, I'm not interested in all this." Susan interrupted. "He can keep the suit. Just make sure he doesn't break into our labs again."

"We'll do that. Thank you. Wanda, take over from Susan." Maria instructed.

For a second, the force-field around Miles disappeared. His stomach jumped as he fell a few centimetres. However, almost immediately after Susan had stopped supporting him, there was a new spherical prison around him. It was almost identical to the one before, but used Wanda's red psionic energy instead of Susan's blue. Susan exited swiftly, leaving Maria to explain herself.

"Well, I did a personnel search for Lilith Winters in the old S.H.I.E.L.D. database, a few weeks ago." Agent Hill disclosed. "For some reason, her file wasn't there. It's likely that she deleted her own file when Agent Romanoff began to upload all the files during the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. So, I just conducted a text search on all of the documents, using Lilith's name. This is what came up."

Maria walked over to the laptop that was connected to the large projector and pressed a few buttons. On the screen, a 3D image of an old photograph appeared. Only the back was showing. 'Jill and Anna's Wedding Reception' had been scribbled in thick, marker pen. Hill waved her hand over the screen and the photograph flipped to show the other side. Clear as day, in the top corner, a young couple was talking. A dark-skinned man whispered in the ear of a woman with long, black hair. It was Fury and Winters.

All eyes turned to Nick. Miles rose from his seated position in the bubble and stood up, gritting his teeth. Fury looked back to Maria and sent her a harsh look.

"What is thi-" Rhodes began to speak. Although, he was interrupted by a sudden scream. The scream was intense and shrill. Miles instantly recognised who it was.

"That's Penny!" He shouted. "Let me out so I can help her!" He was desperate and practically begging. "Please!"

"I'll go." Vision told them. He shot directly upwards, flying through the room and landing on the top floor's balcony. The masculine entity burst into Penny's bedroom, but he wasn't the first one to do so.

Steve Rogers stood in Penny's bedroom, having got there moments before Vision. Penny, however, was gone. Her colouring book and pencils had been left on the bed. A small breeze came from one of the open windows. Steve turned around and looked at Vision.

"She's gone. Order a search of the whole grounds." He ordered. Without a single word, Vision drifted downwards and disappeared through the floor.

Steve sprinted out of the room, intending to alert whoever was in the main hall below. His heart sank in his chest when he saw Miles.

"Oh, shit. Here we go." Sam sighed.

Within seconds, Steve was downstairs and facing the other members of his team. He had so many questions. How was Miles alive? Why was he trapped in Wanda's bubble? Why are his team all bruised and beaten up? Why is the photo on the screen? What is the history between Fury and Winters?

"What is this?" Steve asked, short of words. "Does someone want to explain what's going on?"

"I survived the explosion." Miles spoke first. "I thought I died. I think I did for a while. But, for some reason, the explosion just enhanced my powers. I can now melt down into water and… It's easier just to show you."

For the umpteenth time that day, Miles liquefied himself. His body turned translucent before falling to a puddle in the middle of the sphere. After a few seconds, he solidified again, as if nothing had ever happened.

Steve was both furious and relieved at the same time. "And why have they trapped you in there?" Disappointed in himself, Miles looked away.

"Long story short: He went on a rampage in Manhattan." Natasha answered. "Broke into the Fantastic Four's labs, stole one of their suits and threatened to destroy to the city if we didn't give him Lilith."

"We took him out." Rhodes revealed.

"Miles…" Steve looked up at the younger man with a woeful expression. His disappointed tone of voice broke Miles's heart.

"I-I…" He tried to excuse his actions. "I'm sorry."

"Why wasn't I called in for the mission?" Steve questioned the team. "It would've made things so much easier."

"Fury's idea." Wanda replied, hand up to maintain Miles's prison.

Steve looked to Fury, up to the image on the projector, and then back down to him. "We appointed you as the leader of our team after Sokovia. We thought you'd lead us as well as you led the original Avengers. You've got some explaining to do. Not just to me, to everyone."

The tension was unbearable. All eyes were on Fury as they waited for an explanation. Numerous times, Fury opened his mouth to speak, stopped himself and then sighed. The sound of Maria's phone ringing made her jump.

"Agent Hill." She began. "Go on… How?... Well, find her then." Throwing her phone onto the table, she gulped. This wasn't going to be good news to the team. "Lilith has escaped jail. They don't know how. There was no sign of someone breaking in _or_ out."

"I'd bet my whole bank account that she's the one who's taken Penny." Rhodes proclaimed.

"Let Miles out of there. We have to get the girl back and end this once and for all." Steve ordered.

"Steve!" Natasha called. "It's a trap. You know it is. They're drawing us out for some reason"

"I know." Steve agreed. "What's the one thing that people never learn? Trapping Captain America never works out in their favour."

 **A/N: And, with his chapter, comes the introduction of the Fantastic Four to my Marvel Cinematic Universe. Originally, I was going to introduce all four of their team in this chapter, but I soon realised that it wasn't a good idea for multiple reasons. Firstly, with Johnny/The Human Torch, Miles could simply keep putting his flames out with his water-bending skills. Sure, he could still be introduced and taken out in this chapter, but with so many "superheroes" already have been taken out, it would make the battle unnecessarily longer. Secondly, Invisible Woman is the only person – out of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four - who I believe really could take Miles down.**

 **Invisible Girl is portrayed by Jessica Alba in this story, the same blonde lady who portrayed her in the original Fantastic Four films. When the Human Torch is introduced to the story, he will be recast. We can't have two of Chris Evans, as much as I'd like that! ;)**


End file.
